


Youko Revealed

by Serenova



Category: YuYu Hakusho
Genre: Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-06
Updated: 2013-05-06
Packaged: 2017-12-10 14:29:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 24,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/787094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serenova/pseuds/Serenova
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shiori is putting away laundry one day when she is accidentally attacked by plants Kurama uses to keep Yusuke out of his things. Read the fallout of that event. Little bit of language, but should still be appropriate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Vines and Flowers

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first YuYu Hakusho story.
> 
> I decided to write this fic after not finding a lot of good stories where Shiori finds out about Kurama.
> 
> I have taken some liberties with characters. Kurama, well Yoko, is older than Wikipedia says he is in the manga/anime. Wikipedia has him at around 3,000 years old, I have him around 4,000. The reason I did this is that it says he worked for Yomi 1,000 years before the anime/manga takes place. Also, it says he worked as a thief for 2,000 years before that. To me that means that he has to be older than 3,000 because even in Makai you don’t become a thief at a year old. So I added what I thought would be a reasonable amount of time for him to mature and gain a few tails. So that he has the knowledge/experience that would lead him to becoming a thief.
> 
> I have also played with the timeline a little, pushing the Three Kings saga back by about a year. This fic takes place after the Sensui arc.
> 
> If I get personalities wrong, please forgive me. As I said, I've taken liberties, and characters might be slightly OOC. Also, I haven’t watched the anime in a while, so I’m unsure of Shiori’s personality to start with.
> 
> Even though this is a multi-chapter fic this chapter can stand alone.

** Chapter 1: Vines and Flowers **

 

Shiori walked into Shuuichi’s room to drop off some laundry.  Her son usually put things away himself these days.  He was fiercely independent for the age of 17.  Shiori smiled to herself when the thought about what her son’s reaction would be when he found his things put away.  She loved to do things for him, but he would never let her, saying that he liked to take care of _her_. 

Knowing that Shuuichi could be home any minute, Shiori, neatly, though quickly, began to put his things away.  But when she went to open his closet door, vines sprang out from between the slats in the door, and wrapped around her wrist.

Shiori screamed.

Kurama, who had just opened the front door, heard his mother scream.  Running upstairs with a burst of demon speed, he stopped at the bedroom door and took in the scene in front of him.  There was a small pile of clothes on the bed meaning his mother had done the laundry.  Kurama’s eyes went from the laundry to his closet door, where he felt his reiki coming from one of the pants used to keep intruders out of his things.

Shiori had fallen to her knees, the vines (just a common Ningenkai climbing vine) had wrapped around her right wrist and started climbing up her arm.  A smaller pile of, now disheveled, clothing was on the floor in front of the closet door.

Kurama immediately understood what had happened.

“Mother, don’t,” Kurama said.  Shiori had been trying to use her free hand to try and un-wrap the vine from her arm.  It hadn’t been going well.

Shiori immediately stopped struggling and looked at Kurama with fearful eyes.

Kurama walked towards the closet door, the plant had stopped moving when Shiori did.  Kurama laid one hand on the vines, the other opening the closet door, reaching for the seed he had placed in the doorjamb, to protect his things from a certain one-human, now demonic teenager who like to play jokes on people when bored.

Shiori watched wide eyed as Shuuichi calmly extended his hands and looked on as the vines slowly unwrapped themselves from her arm and retracted into the small seed her son now had cupped in his hand.  She watched as she brought his hand to his hair in a practiced motion, and when it came away the seed was gone from his hand.

“I apologize mother,” Kurama said, helping Shiori to her feet.  “I thought I had remembered to key your energy signature into the plants.  I am sorry they frightened you.”

“You – plants – energy,” Shiori stuttered.

Kurama could tell that it had frightened her greatly.  Though he did have the sneaking feeling that if the plant hadn’t grabbed her, and he had shown her, she wouldn’t have been frightened.

Shiori could only walk beside Shuuichi as he guided her out of his room, down the stairs and into the living room.  He placed her on the couch and walked away.  A moment later she heard cups being taken out and water put on to heat.

Sitting there, thinking, Shiori knew that she’d always had a suspicion that he had something with plants.  Of course, it now appeared that, that something was a lot more than she had previously thought.

By the time Kurama returned with the tea, Shiori had calmed almost completely down.  He only detected a slightly accelerated heartbeat from the adrenaline still in her system.

Shiori looked up from the carpet when tea was placed in her hands.  Shuuichi’s eyes were kind but sad as he sat down next to her on the couch, a second cup of tea in his hands.

“I believe I owe you an explanation,” Kurama said after a minute or two.

“An explanation _would_ be nice,” Shiori replied.  “I must admit I’m a bit surprised about your control over plants.  I’ve always known you had a green thumb, but I didn’t think anything like this could happen.”

Kurama smiled softly, leaning back into the couch.  “What do you know about spirits and psychics?” he asked.  It was slightly off topic, but he needed to know what his mother could possibly know and what she believed in.

Shiori was slightly startled by the question, but answered anyways.  She had a feeling that this was going to go somewhere.  “Well, I’ve always believed in psychics, even tried to be one at one time, in my younger years.” Shiori smiled.  “I suppose when it comes to spirits, I believe that they exist, until some proves me wrong.”  Shiori frowned in thought, “I think I remember reading a book in my teens about someplace called Reikai, and how lord Enma has complete charge over spirits when they pass on.”  Shiori looked as if she was debating something, then she spoke again, “Let me put it this way,” she continued, “Until someone shows me infallible proof that things like psychics, ghosts, sprits and demons _don’t_ exist, I’ll be completely open to the possibility that they _do_ exist.”

Kurama’s eyes had widened the tinniest bit as his mother spoke.  He could tell that she really did believe what she was saying, and until someone _really_ proved her wrong well then she would believe.

“Well,” Kurama said with a mental smirk, “Lord Enma usually just keeps an eye on things.  It’s Koenma that’s to deal with everything.  For a being who’s over five hundred years old, he still has no idea how to control his temper, or his subordinates.”

“Koenma?” Shiori asked.  “How do you know all this Shuuichi?”

“Enma, Jr. - Prince of Reikai and heir to Lord Enma,” Kurama said.  “Everyone calls him Koenma, though Yuusuke just calls him Toddler.”  Shiori’s eyes widened at the mention of her son’s friend, but she stayed quiet and let her son continue.  “As for how I know this, it has to do with my ability to control plants.”

“Yuusuke knows?” Shiori asked.

“As well as Kuwabara and Hiei, mother,” Kurama places his tea on the coffee table and looked directly at the woman in front of him.  “You know all those ‘trips’ I’ve been on?”

Shiori nodded.  Something about the way those trips were mentioned made her nervous.  “Yes, they started a couple of years ago now,” Shiori smiled, “How you kept up with your work I’ll never know.”

Kurama chuckled a little at that.  Having at least a part demon physiology made it easier for him to stay awake for days on end if he needed to (he’d done it before, and will probably have to do it again).  “Well those trips,” Kurama said, when he finished chuckling, “Were missions given to the Reikai Tantei by Koenma.”

Shiori looked puzzled for a minute as she absorbed what Shuuichi had said.  Sure, she understood the _words_ but there was a hidden meaning there, a meaning that Shuuichi was slowly revealing.

“Spirit Detective?” Shiori finally asked.  Kurama nodded.  “So you work…” She left it hanging.

“For Koenma,” Kurama said.  Sensing his mother was not about to say anything, he started explaining what the Tantei did.  “We are sent by Koenma to either capture or kill demons that have escaped here to Ningenkai, the human world, from Makai, the demon world.  Usually once the mission is complete we bring them to Reikai, the spirit world, for sentencing, and to report to Koenma.”

Of all the things Shiori thought her son would say, that he fought demons was not among them.

“Who is on the team with you?” Shiori asked.

“You have met all of them before.  I believe you remember Yuusuke and Kuwabara?” At Shiori’s nod Kurama continued, “They are part of the group, along with Hiei.”

Kurama tried to gauge his mother’s reaction to the news.  She seemed to be taking it quite well.

Shiori smiled weakly, it was a little difficult to take everything in at once.  “Does your ability with plants have something to do with it?”

“Yes,” Kurama said, “My ability to control plants, even use them as weapons – which is how I use them while fighting – come from my ability to use reiki.”  He wasn’t about to tell her that most of the ability came from being Yoko, though in his human form, he did use reiki, like Yuusuke used to, and Kuwabara does, only combined with his youki.  Yuusuke also used a mixture of reiki and youki these days, with his heritage revealed.

“Reiki?” Shiori asked, unfamiliar with the term.  She knew it meant spirit energy, but how could that control plants?

Kurama explained, “Every being alive has at least one type of energy residing within them.  Life energy, which is what keeps you alive, it is impossible to live without life energy.  Though it is possible for very short amounts of time.” Kurama paused there for a second.  He was bordering on Yoko here, because he had found Shiori after he had used up his life energy.  Kurama continued when he realized he had grown silent.  “Reiki, or spirit energy, all humans posses, though in varying degrees.  Reiki is what spirits, well ghosts, are, collections of conscious reiki.  If someone has a large amount of reiki, they can learn to consciously control it.” Kurama paused for another second, realizing, belatedly, that if his mother was to be trained in the use of reiki, she could be fairly powerful.  “That’s where my ability comes from, well most of it anyways.  You can learn to specialize what you do with your reiki, and each person is also different.” Kurama drew a breath, this was getting on even more dangerous territory here.  “Demons have another kind of energy called youki.  It works exactly the same as reiki, except for demons.”

Shiori sat there thinking about things for a little while.  She supposed that it all made sense.  She’d seen enough odd occurrences in her life, and not all of them pertained to her son either, that, while it took her some thinking, she eventually accepted what her son had told her.

Kurama watched as various emotions played across his mothers face.  Eventually the tumult of expressions faded, and Shiori reached up and brushed his bangs out of his eyes.

“Care to show me?” Shiori asked.

Kurama’s eyes widened, and then he smiled.

Shiori smiled as her son’s whole face lit up.  She could tell that he had been wanting to show her for a long time and that he like showing off.

Kurama took Shiori’s hand and led her outside to the garden he had taken care of since he was old enough that Shiori let him.  It had flourished under his care, and Shiori had a feeling she knew why.

When they reached the backyard, Kurama left his mother on the porch and stood in the middle of the backyard.

After a quick scan of the surrounding area, to make sure no-one was watching, Kurama reached for his hair.

In one fluid motion he pulled the seed from where its tiny roots had secured it in his hair.  He removed the seed by reverting it back to its seed form, and growing it out to an adult plant as he withdrew it from his hair.

With none of the usual flourishes, Kurama produced a perfect red rose.  It took skill and concentration and Yoko had four millennia of practice, he had it down to an art form.

Shiori started as Shuuichi produced a rose from his hair.  “How did you get a rose?” she asked.

“Simple,” Kurama said, pulling a couple more seeds out of his hair without growing them.  “I keep seeds in my hair and I grow them as I need them.”  Kurama demonstrated by turning the rose in his hand back into a seed.  Choosing another, Kurama produced common Ivy, letting it twine up his arm a little.

Shiori watched in fascination.  She thought she saw a flicker of something in one of the backyard trees.  Shuuichi seemed to also have noticed because he turned around.

Kurama turned as he felt a familiar aura flash behind him.  He also knew that his mother had noticed when her eyes focused away from him and over his left shoulder.

Kurama knew that Hiei would show as soon as the kitsune flared his youki while using his plants.  It never failed.

“What are you doing, fox?” Hiei asked, appearing next to Kurama on the ground, making Shiori start.

Kurama mentally cringed at Hiei’s name for him.  He had hoped to not introduce his mother to _that_ particular facet of his personality so soon.  Thankfully it appeared that Shiori hadn’t noticed Hiei’s name for him, still surprised over Hiei’s sudden appearance.

“I’m showing my mother my plants,” Kurama answered, placing his seeds back in his hair and searching for a certain Reikai plant he knew his mother would like, it changed color with the persons emotions.

“Well I felt your youki halfway across town,” Hiei said.  “Try to keep it down next time.  If you’re not careful you’ll have half Makai on your _tail_ ,” Hiei continued, with the slightest emphasis on tail.

“Sorry mother,” Kurama said, turning back to Shiori.  Kurama was also fervently hoping that she had missed both the tail and the youki statements.  He wanted to break the news to her _after_ she got used to the idea of reiki and demons.  “Hiei tends to be protective of those he judges to be friends.”

“Hiei?” Shiori asked.  “You mentioned him and that he goes on missions with you.  I’ve seen him in the tree outside your window before too.”

Shiori really looked at Hiei.  He shifted somewhat under her gaze, then, he seemed to flicker and appeared on a low tree branch.  Shiori jumped and looked at Shuuichi.  He didn’t seem surprised in the least at what Hiei had done.  Shiori had never had a chance to really look at him before, but now that she had, something didn’t add up to her about the shorter man.

“Hiei,” Kurama said, with the tone of someone long-suffering in a familiar position.  “Could you _not_ flit away every time a person looks at you?”

“Hn,” came the response from the tree.

“What is he?” Shiori asked quietly.

Kurama was startled by the question.  Then he chuckled.  “Not _who_ but _what_.  Appropriate question mother,” Kurama gestured for his mother to sit as he sat on the top step of the porch stairs.  Shiori sat down next to him.

“So, he’s not human?” Shiori asked.

Kurama nodded and glanced at Hiei, “Why don’t you let him tell you himself?” Kurama said loud enough for Hiei to hear.

Hiei sighed and flitted down to the base of the porch stairs.  He looked Shiori dead in the face, and she notices his crimson eyes for the first time.  “I’m a fire demon,” Hiei said bluntly.  He raised his un-bandaged fist to demonstrate, and flame surrounded his hand.

Shiori jumped when she realized that he wasn’t being burnt by the flame he produced.  Just as swiftly as it appeared, the flame disappeared, and Hiei flitted back to the same tree-branch.

“Did you always know?” Shiori asked.

“I’ve always known that Hiei is a demon, if that’s what you mean,” Kurama said.  “Though I did not know what kind at first.”  Kurama produced another flower, it looked similar to a rose, but it was currently a vibrant purple.

Shiori stared at the flower Shuuichi held out to her.  She took it in her hands, and it immediately turned yellow.

Kurama chuckled at her surprised look.  “It’s a Reikai wild flower.  It changes color with a person’s feelings.” Kurama smiled.  “I think that’s enough for now,” Kurama said, standing up.  He held out his hand to help his mother to her feet.

“I’ll talk to you later Hiei,” Kurama called, walking into the house.  He felt more than saw Hiei’s nod as he flitted away.

Shiori was finding a vase to put the flower in when Shuuichi walked into the kitchen.  He watched as his mother found the vase she was looking for.  Shiori filled it with water, and placed the flower in the vase.  Placing it on the table Shiori took a seat herself.  Shuuichi moved to the table and sat down across from his mother.

“How long have you known you can do this?” Shiori asked, waving her hand at the flower now sitting on the table.

“For as long as I can remember,” Kurama answered truthfully.  And it was the truth.  Even as a kit, when he was growing up in Makai, he was good with plants.  And after learning to control his youki, he was able to learn to control them.  Of course, it took a couple hundred years, and his second tail to finally get it right, but it was worth it in the end.

Shiori nodded.  “Did you teach yourself, or was there a teacher I didn’t know about?” She said lightly.  She had had a few shocks today, but she was taking it quite well.  Nothing he had said or shown her that afternoon topped the first one, when the vine had grabbed her.

Again, Kurama answered truthfully.  “I am self-taught with my plants, though someone did show me how to use reiki.”  Well, somewhat truthfully.  He just switched what kind of energy he was shown from youki to reiki.  He wasn’t ready to tell his mother about his childhood in Makai!

“Thank you for telling me, Shuuichi,” Shiori said standing up.  “I’m glad you told me.  I just need some time to think things out, to put all the pieces in place.”  Shiori started to walk towards the kitchen when she caught Shuuichi’s pained look.  Stopping she turned back and swept her son into a tight hug.  “Don’t worry Shuuichi,” she said soothingly.  “Nothing could change my love for you, even if you were a demon yourself.”  Shiori missed the joy that flooded Shuuichi’s face for a split second at her seemingly simple statement.  Shiori tightened her hug, and then resumed her walk towards the kitchen.  “Do you want anything special for dinner, and will Hiei be joining us?”

Kurama was startled by the inclusion of Hiei, but he smiled.  “Anything you want is fine mother.  And Hiei will join us if I can talk him into it.”

Shiori smiled and began taking ingredients out for dinner as Kurama headed upstairs, and finished putting his things away, opening the window for Hiei.

 

_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_

 

No sooner had Kurama finished putting his laundry away, Hiei appeared on the windowsill, “No Yoko?” was the Jaganshi’s greeting.

Kurama shook his head.  “I am gently leading her there.  I did not want to show her everything at once.  I was not even planning on telling her so soon, but I was careless, and she activated one of my vines that I use to keep Yuusuke out of my things.  I forgot to key her signature to the vine.”

Hiei snorted, “You.  Make a mistake,” He chuckled.  “The great Yoko is losing his touch,” Hiei teased.

Kurama’s eyes flashed dangerously, a bit of gold seeping into the green.  “Everyone makes mistakes, Hiei, even you.”

“Hn.” Was the response Kurama received.  Hiei knew that the kistune would follow through with his un-spoken threat.  Hiei also knew that he was not one to talk about making mistakes, he’d made enough in his life to know.

“So,” Kurama said.

“So what?”

“Mother would like to know if you would join us for dinner.”

Hiei stared at Kurama like he’d just grown another head, or turned bright great.  “What?” it came out almost like a hiss.

“You heard me,” Kurama said.  “It’s not like you have anything better to do.  Besides,” Kurama continued with a small smile, not un-noticed by Hiei, “It’s supposed to rain tonight.  You usually stay here when it rains anyways, what is a few more hours?”

Hiei glared, then his gaze softened, “Hn.” Was the only response he gave to that, turning to look out the window.

Kurama correctly interpreted Hiei’s grunt as a ‘fine’ and stood up, “I’m heading downstairs to help mother.  You can come, or I will call you when it is ready.” And with that Kurama headed out of the room and downstairs.  The small fire demon chose to follow.

 

_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_

 

Kurama helped his mother with the last parts of dinner, and setting the table.  When everything was done everyone sat own, Hiei grudgingly, and began their meal.  There wasn’t much chatter.  Shiori was thinking most of the time.  Kurama was content to just sit there and eat, letting his mother think.  He was also trying to figure out how to tell Shiori the rest of the story.  And Hiei, well he was just Hiei, which meant he just didn’t want to talk and just sat there.

For all that dinner was silent, conversation wise, it went well, and after helping Shiori clean up, Kurama headed upstairs to do his homework.  Hiei followed him.

Hiei immediately claimed the window sill while Kurama sat at his desk.  He faintly heard the sound of the television from downstairs as he did his work. Hiei dozed off on the window sill, katana in his lap, ready to spring awake if something happened.

By the time Kurama finished his work, it was late enough that he decided to go to bed. He went downstairs to tell his mother goodnight, then went back upstairs and got ready for bed.  Kurama also grabbed an extra blanket from the hall closet, and placed it on the floor near Hiei foot, just in case.  Hiei was still on the sill, rain now splattering the now closed, but never locked, window.


	2. Tails and Silver

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took some liberties with how I think things are in this chapter too. Mostly about relationships in Makai, and how I think Kurama decided on Shiori as his mother. There a coupling now obvious, but there’s nothing disgusting, and I managed to somehow shock Hiei, gotta love how my mind works sometime.

** Chapter 2: Tails and Silver **

About a week had passed since the ‘vine incident’ as it has become known.  Kurama hadn’t told her _nearly_ everything, but he had told her more about the missions he had gone on, and about some of the enemies they’d fought, along with the Dark Tournament, because she had asked about that.  She’d noticed when he’d gotten back from his two week ‘camping trip’ that he was in pretty rough shape.  After getting over her initial surprise Shiori had taken most of it in stride.  She was not overly fond of the idea of her son fighting demons and getting hurt, but she accepted it, after all he had always been good at taking care of himself

It had taken Shiori about 24 hours to start asking questions.  She had almost bombarded Shuuichi at dinner the next night.  Questions about missions, odd things she had noticed, some of the people she had encountered around Shuuichi, and so forth.  He answered to the best of his ability, with Hiei, who had joined them again for dinner, making sarcastic comments and dropping hints about Youko, calling him fox and so forth.

Shiori hadn’t seemed to notice…yet.  And it was starting to get on Kurama’s nerves.  He was worried that she would end up taking something the wrong way.

“You’re being paranoid,” Hiei told him.

Kurama glared at the small fire-youkai sitting on his windowsill.  “You and I may know that I did not harm anyone when I assumed this form, but mother may not see it that way if she figures it out on her own.”

“Have the Toddler tell her.”

Kurama glared again.  “If I brought him here, he would more than likely bring up the fact that I cost him months of paperwork as revenge for bringing it up again, you know how much trouble he got into about that.  He is not likely to forget anytime soon if I bring it up again.”

Hiei grunted, and then stayed silent.

Kurama turned back to his school-work, though his mind was elsewhere.  He remembered when Koenma had found out that Kurama was responsible for the mountain of paperwork associated with a soul not entering the correct body.  One of the reasons that Youko had chosen Shiori was that there was no soul yet residing within her child, and so the body was free for the taking, and also, he was drawn to Shiori’s aura, which was quite strong when she was younger.

While Youko had had a reputation for being heartless, he was not a Youkai that would kill an innocent.  Sure when annoyed or pissed off, he had been known to kill the source of that irritation, and he never left anyone that attacked him standing if he had a choice about it (Yusuke and Hiei not withstanding), but underneath everything he was not fond of hurting anyone that didn’t give him a _damn_ good reason to do so.  Part of that came from being a plant-based kitsune.  Mortal foxes were so attuned to nature that that carried over to their demon counterparts.  Meaning that while Youko could kill you easily with his plants, he was just as happy working in a garden, or out enjoying nature.

When searching for a child to inhabit, he had been careful to not inhabit one with a soul already there.  It would have been painful for both him and the child if he had taken up residence in a child with a soul already, and there would have had to be a merging of the two, and Youko would have no longer been himself.  Kurama privately thought that he was lucky to find Shiori when he had, he wouldn’t have lasted much longer without a body, at the time.

Kurama started when he heard his name being called.

“Shuuichi!” Shiori called from the bottom of the stairs.  The woman smiled when she saw him step out of his bedroom with a question on his face.  “There’s a girl at the front door with blue hair.  She said her name was Botan, and that she worked for Koenma.  So I figured she wasn’t part of your fan club.”

Kurama chuckled at that.  “Please let her in, I’ll be right down.” With that he ducked back into his room.  “Botan’s here.” He said un-necessarily, since Hiei heard the whole thing.  Hiei looked at him.  “Would you like to come down and see why she’s here or do you just want to wait and have me tell you later?”

Hiei stood in response and Kurama headed for the door.

Kurama walked into the living room, and saw his mother placing a cup of tea in front of Botan.  The girl smiled and bowed her thanks.  “Not another mission I hope?” Kurama said by way of greeting.

Botan smiled.  “Nope,” she said with her usual happiness.  “Things are pretty quiet in Makai right now.  The Sensui fiasco killed off a lot of the lower classes, and nobody big has filled the power vacuum yet.”

Kurama raised an eyebrow, six months and nobody filled the power vacuum yet?  They must have killed off a lot more than they thought.  “So why are you here Botan-san?”

“Well, everybody’s planning a picnic for Sunday, even Genkai’s coming and Yusuke was wondering if you’d like to join us.  Something about making it at least a little interesting if you and Hiei showed up.”

“Who says I want to go?” Hiei asked.

Botan smiled.  She’d dealt with Hiei enough that she took things as they came now.  Being the Grim Reaper gave her a unique outlook on things, and being immortal and somewhat immune to Hiei’s attacks helped as well.  “Nobody did, but everyone figures that if Kura-Shuuichi comes, then you’ll probably show up as well.” Botan hadn’t meant to trip over Kurama’s name, it had just happened.  That tended to happen a lot with people who knew he preferred to be called Kurama.  It was especially difficult for them when Shiori was around.  When you’re used to calling someone one thing most of the time, you tend to forget that the other name is even around.

Kurama thought he saw him mother start with the name mix-up, but he couldn’t be sure, Yusuke had done it before, and Shiori hadn’t noticed, but with her on the lookout for anything strange now, it was no surprise that she had picked up on Botan’s slip.

“Hn.” Was Hiei’s response as he flitted out of the room.

Kurama could sense him back up stairs, and then out the window.  He looked at Botan, “I will be there at least and Hiei will probably tag along just to annoy Kuwabara.”

Botan smiled again, her usual happy self.  About the only thing that could make that girl serious was if Yusuke somehow died… again, or the world was on the verge of destruction…again. She looked at Kurama with a question in her eyes and mimed getting her oar.

“It’s fine.”

“I’ll see you on Sunday then.” Botan said materializing her oar, making Shiori jump.

“What time?”

“Anytime around noon,” And with that Botan was on her oar and through a wall before Shiori could move.

“Please tell me she’s not a youkai,” came Shiori’s voice from the couch.  Kurama turned and looked at his mother, she had paled slightly, probably from seeing someone fly through a wall like it wasn’t there.

Shiori was staring at the spot on the wall where Botan had flown through.  She had been surprised when an oar had appeared in the girls’ hand, but it had really come with a surprise that the girl just flew out the wall like that.

“Botan can be intangible when she wants to be,” Shuuichi said.  “And, no, she’s not a demon.  She’s a shinigami that works for Koenma, she usually the one that relays the information about missions to us.  She will also bring us to Reikai if we need to talk to Koenma ourselves.”

“Shinigami?” Shiori asked, wide eyed.  _That bubbly, nice girl?_

“I think her personality developed to be at odds with her job.” Kurama said with a chuckle.

“Does she actually…kill people?” Shiori said in a small voice.

Shuuichi shook his head, making Shiori relax a little.  “She only collects souls after they have passed.”

“She just seems so _nice_ ,” Shiori said.

“Oh she is,” Kurama said, “Though sometimes she gets on Yusuke’s nerves.”

Shiori looked at her son for a moment, he sounded so much older.  She had noticed it more this past week.  Shuichi had always seemed so much more mature than other people his age.  But it seemed to stand out more now for some reason.  The way he spoke, and acted.  His mannerisms in general, told her of someone who knew exactly who they were, and were in complete control.  Control someone his age should not have been able to accomplish without some serious effort, and as far as Shiori could remember, he’d always been that way.  Even as a young child, he had seemed so much in control that she often had to remind herself how young her son actually was.

Shiori had also noticed that Botan almost called her son Kurama.  She had heard the name before, and Shuichi’s friend Yusuke had called him that too.  But now, she was not so sure it was just a nickname.  If it was a nickname, wouldn’t they just call him that some of the time, and not all the time?  Ever since she had found out about Shuichi’s ability with plants, she had been wondering.  Hiei had been calling him ‘fox’ every time he had been over, and she could tell that Shuuichi was hoping that she hadn’t noticed.  Well she had, and with Botan’s name mix-up, she was ready to get some answers.

“Why do all your teammates call you Kurama?” Came the surprising, and not so surprising question from Shiori.  Kurama turned to look at Shiori a sad smile on his face.

“I was wondering when you were going to notice, you picked up on so many other things.”

“It’s not just that,” Shiori continued.  “Hiei has been calling you fox all week, and don’t think that I haven’t noticed.  I have, and I would like to know what it’s all about.”

Shuuichi sat down beside his mother.  To her eyes he suddenly looked well beyond his years, like the weight of the world was on his shoulders.  Shiori put a hand on her sons shoulder; he leaned towards her for a second, before getting up and pacing the room.

“In your reading when you were younger, did you ever come across any legends about a kitsune called Youko Kurama?” Shuuichi asked her suddenly.

Shiori’s eyes widened at the name.  It was the same name!  Wondering what the connection was to her son, she began thinking hard.  “I think so,” Shiori said slowly, thinking hard the whole time.  “It was an old legend, about five or six hundred years old.  It spoke of an eight-tailed silver kitsune who was the best thief in the land and he stole a precious jewel from some travelers, but for some reason gave it back in the end.  I remember thinking that he had to be very powerful to have that many tails.  I was into reading about animal myths at the time, and I remember one saying that only the most powerful kistune have nine tails, and that there has never been a kitsune with more than that.”

Kurama looked out the window as memories from over five hundred ears previous flashed through his mind.  He had run into a group of travelers and had stolen a jewel that was precious to them as a game.  When they finally found him, he had given it back.  He had no need of the power it provided, and just wanted to see whether he could steal it or not.  Sure, he could have sold it for a lot of money, or kept it, but it was shattered at the time and of no use to him.  He also remembered reading that legend in school a couple of years previous in school, he had found it amusing how things can change over time.  The legend was distinctly different from what he remembered happening.

Shiori watched as Shuuichi finally stopped looking out the window, and with a rue smile turned to her and said, “Just over seventeen years ago, Youko Kurama was tracked down by a bounty hunter, tricked, wounded, hunted and then killed.  Taking what energy he had left, his spirit fled to the human world looking for shelter, somewhere safe, to hide, and to heal.  He found a human woman who was carrying a child.  As that child did not yet have a soul, Youko Kurama took up residence, and has never left.”

Shiori was shocked.  How did her Shuuichi know all this?  A sudden change in his speech pattern brought her attention back to the present; suddenly there was an abundance of emotion in her sons’ usually even voice.  “Then, seven years ago, when that woman permanently scared herself to save her child, a connection was made.  A connection so strong, that a two years ago, when that mother was in the hospital and dying, Youko Kurama was willing to give up his human life to save her.  And would have done so, unless a certain spirit detective hadn’t stepped in and decided to be selfless.”

Shiori gasped as she suddenly realized what Shuuichi was saying.  She looked at her palms and the scars there from the broken glass that she had saved her son from.  And a two years ago!  She had been so sick.  The doctors were sure she was not going to get better.  Then one day the illness disappeared and she was able to return home.  Kurama sat down next to his mother again and grasped her hands lightly.  She looked at him and realized why his eyes had always looked so old to her, even when he was young child.

“You’re Youko Kurama,” Shiori whispered, almost to herself.

With a sad smile Kurama nodded.  “I did not mean to deceive you.  I had no intention of ever harming you, or anyone.  You showed me love and caring that I had not felt since I was a kit, over four thousand years ago in Makai.  I realized something when you saved me from that fall,” Kurama said, flipping Shiori’s hands palm up again, “I realized that you cared for me just as much as the vixen that gave birth to me and that meant more than anything the Three Worlds.” Kurama sighed.  “Makai is not an easy place to grow up in, and I was on my own at a very young age.  You gave me the loving mother that I was unable to have the first time.”

“Oh Shuichi,” Shiori said reaching for him, and then she paused almost as if unsure of herself.  After a moment of hesitation she wrapped her son in a hug.  “I am so glad you stayed.  I don’t know what I would have ever done if you had left.  You will always be my son, no matter who or what you are.”

Kurama hugged her back, even as his eyes stung with wetness.  He pulled away and smiled at his mother.  “I am very glad to hear you say that.  A part of me thought that you would never want anything to do with me again.”

Shiori chuckled.  “You have been a very good son to me, loving, caring, and never getting into trouble… well trouble that I knew about at least.”  Shiori stood and moved towards the kitchen with the used teacups that had still been on the coffee table.  Kurama watched as she dropped the items off in the sink and returned to the living room.  “I do have some questions I would like answered though.” She said.

“Anything, mother,” Kurama said, thrilled by the fact that he could still call her that.

“You mentioned finding me after you died, just what did you do?”

“I’m not sure myself,” Kurama said thoughtfully.  “I remember dying, not a fun experience, I do not recommend trying a violent death.” Shiori smiled wryly at her sons’ odd sense of humor, though now she thought she understood where some of it came from.  “Then I was somehow still me, just without a body.  I found a portal and made it to Ningenkai.  I knew I would need a body.  But I do not like, and never did like, killing needlessly.  I had to find a body without a soul.  The best option I had was a fetus.  I was lucky that the child you were carrying did not yet have a soul, and that I could enter the body and begin a new life.  Part of what drew me to you was your aura.  You actually have a large amount of Reiki, and would have a decent amount of power if you ever decided to train it.”

Shiori was on a bit of an information overload, but was determined to get everything while it was still fresh in her mind.  Kurama watched as Shiori visibly took a deep breath.  She had so many questions; she didn’t know which one to ask first.

“Just how powerful are you?” Shiori finally asked after digesting some of the information.  Kurama could tell that that was the foremost question on her mind.  Yusuke had been wondering since he became a demon himself, and they had never sparred all out, they probably would have destroyed half the city just by their power ups.  Hiei had a good idea how strong he really was, but then again, Hiei knew that Kurama had gained a ninth tail, and that said enough for him.

“There is a class system for demons,” Kurama started, “Though the system can be applied to humans as well.  There are six ‘classes’ with three levels in each.  From lowest to strongest the classes are E, D, C, B, A, and S.”  Shiori nodded for him to continue.  “The levels within each are inferior, average and superior.  Most demons barely make E-class they are so weak.  The ones that make it into Ningenkai have to be at least a D but mostly C-class makes it, because they are capable of speech.  The demons that manage to gather armies are usually B and A-class demons.  S-class demons are the most powerful, and usually the most dangerous.  Some S-class demons are known as war gods.  They are just as powerful as Lord Enma and other gods, and could destroy the world if they wanted too.” Kurama took a steadying breath.  “When that legend you read about took place, I was an A-average.”  Shiori’s mouth dropped opened slightly as she took in the information.  Kurama continued after giving her a moment to think that over, “I earned my ninth tail about two hundred years after that legend actually.”  Kurama paused for a sec as he realized something.  The girl who had the jewel wore what looked like the school uniform from a school about halfway across town.   Kurama sighed and shook himself out of his thoughts, but made a mental note to look into that.  “By the time I was killed by the bounty hunter, I had reached the average S-class level.”  Shiori’s eyes just widened wider.  “I became weaker for a while, while I was growing up again here in Ningenkai, while I was growing up here, I could not access my full power, the human body cannot contain that much energy, so I was around an average A-class, while I was regaining control.  As I aged here, my human body took on a lot of the characteristics of a demon.”

“What do you mean, ‘A lot of the characteristics’?” Shiori interrupted.

Kurama sighed, trying to think how to explain it.  “When I was born, I was not able to access any of my youki.  I did have some reiki at my disposal, but it was not enough.  Around the time when I turned five, I was able to access my youki again, and as I started using my youki more and more, it started changing my body.  By the time I was ten, much of my physiology was no longer human.  Do you remember how hard it was for you to get me to a doctor?”  Shiori nodded weakly, remembering that getting Shuichi to the doctors was one of the few times he would disobey her.

“One reason,” Kurama continued, “Is that my heart no longer beat like a humans.  A demon heartbeat is hard to explain.  But I was gaining my strength back, and my agility.” Kurama chuckled.  “One of the reasons I have a fan club is that I do so well in Gym class.  But other things changed to, my senses are almost what they would be if I was still pure youkai.  Heightened sense of smell, sight, hearing.  Everything.  In essence my body is demon, is almost every sense but form.  I am still the person you gave birth too, but some things changed along the way.”

Shiori looked slightly taken aback by what her son was telling her.  Sure her son had always been a little…odd.  But it had definitely become more pronounced the older he got.  He had never had a broken bone, despite some very nasty falls.  And he always seemed to heal quickly from anything.  He also almost never got sick, and when he did, he always got over it just as quickly.

“Also,” Kurama continued, “Yusuke has had something similar happen to him.  He was born human, but has gained demon blood after dying.  The demon blood revived him and allowed him to succeed in our most recent mission.”  Kurama chuckled, “You should see him when he changes into his demon form.  His body is covered in tattoos and his hair goes wild.”

“Demon form?” Shiori asked.

“Most demons, if they are powerful enough, have at least two forms.  One where there power is contained, and tend to look human, like Hiei, and now Yusuke.  The other is usually a meaner and more threatening looking form that releases their full power.”

“Do you have one?”

“Actually I have two.”

Shiori blinked, “Two?”

“Mother I _am_ a kitsune.”

Shiori thought about that for a minute.  Most kitsune could look human, but they had also been known to take on the form of their mortal counterparts.  “You can change into a fox?”  Kurama nodded.  “That’s one, what’s the other?”

“My other form is what I originally looked like in Makai.”

“What do you mean?”

Kurama stood and faced Shiori, “I can become what I was before I was killed,” he said.

Shiori watched, eyes wide, as she watched her son _change_.  Emerald green eyes suddenly became gold.  His crimson locks bled silver.  Ears changed shape and moved to sit on the top of his head.  His clothes slowly drained of color and changed shape into a sleeveless tunic and pants as he grew taller.  In only a couple of moments, Shiori had watched her son Shuichi literally change into the demon Youko Kurama.

The gold eyes softened as he looked at her.  “Youko Kurama lives again,” he seemed to intone in a somber voice.

Shiori stood to get a closer look at what her son became.  She could see the similarities between them.  The form might be different, but the mannerisms, the way he stood, even the way he looked at her, were all Shuichi.

Kurama held out a hand to his mother, she took it as she slowly looked him over.  Finally she smiled and looked up at him.  “You’re very handsome,” she said.

“Motheeeerrrrrrrr!” Kurama said with a blush.  That just did not sound right coming from his mother.

Shiori laughed; glad she could still tease him.  He seemed too serious in this form; she just wanted her son to smile.  Seeing her child happy, that was any mothers dream.  For Shiori, she now knew she wanted to help wipe way the sadness of the past.  The pain and struggle, she wanted to help heal what she could sense in him.  Shiori took a step back so that she could see all of him once again.  He was so much taller than her like this.  Looking him over again Shiori noticed that he had a tail.

Kurama noticed his mothers gaze and knew she had seen his tail.  Shiori looked up just as Kurama flashed her a mischievous smile, as once again he changed.  Fur grew as more tails sprouted.  He shrank in size, to that of about a medium size dog.  Bones rearranged themselves to that of a canine.  With a final shake, Kurama sat back on his hunches and looked at his mother.  All nine tails fanned out behind him in full view.

Shiori kneeled down if front of him so that they were eye level, and looked him over.  Then she started giggling.  “You look so cute like this!” she said. 

 _Cute?_ Kurama asked.  Shiori jumped having heard his voice in her head.  _I speak mentally like this, because I am unable of forming vocalized speech in this form,_ Kurama explained.

“Oh,” Shiori said.  “And yes, you are cute.  You’ve probably never heard it before, because I doubt anyone in Makai would dare say it to your face.”

 _True_ , Kurama conceded.  _Most demons in Makai avoid me in all costs.  Yusuke would probably agree with you if he saw me like this, Keiko too._

“Keiko?” Shiori asked, sitting back down on the couch.  The whole situation was a little surreal, but listening to the mind voice of her son, who was currently shaped like a fox sitting on their living room floor, suddenly seemed almost normal, considering what she had found out the previous week.

_Yusuke’s girlfriend._

“Ah, yes, I think I met her once.”  Shiori smiled.  “If I remember correctly, she hit Yusuke over the head because hadn’t been at school that day.”

 _She can be quite the force to reckon with_ , Kurama said, with what sounded like a slight chuckle in his voice.

Standing up, Kurama gave himself one good shake, and changed back into Shuichi.  Watching him change, Shiori thought of something, “Can you do that because of what you said earlier?  About your youki?”

Kurama nodded, sitting down on the couch again.  “If I had never been able to access my youki, I would not be as powerful as I am, or be able to change into my original form.  In fact, if I never accessed it, I would be little more that an average person.”

“You wouldn’t have been slightly more than average, you would have _been_ average.”

Kurama whipped around, hand automatically going to his hair.  He relaxed as soon as he saw who it was.  He had been so focused on what he had been doing, and talking to his mother that he had not even noticed Hiei in the room.

“You’re losing your touch, fox, I snuck right up on you.”

Shiori watched her sons’ eye’s become golden as he said, “You may have snuck up on me, but you know I am just as powerful as you are.  You could not have harmed me.”  There was an undercurrent to Shuichi’s voice that Shiori had never heard before.  It sounded menacing, almost like a growl.

“Hn,” was Hiei’s response to Kurama’s statement.

“You know I don’t really keep an eye out for people that I know and trust attacking me.”

“Bad habit,” Hiei said.  “I never let my guard down.”

There was teasing, and even some affection in his voice, Shiori noticed, as Kurama said, “Are you sure about that Hiei?  Because I remember a certain spirit detective using a mirror to shoot you in the back, and I can think of multiple times that I’ve snuck up on you and times when you have been surprised.

Hiei just glared.

Shiori couldn’t help herself, she started giggling.  And when she couldn’t keep it to giggling she started laughing.

“What’s so damn funny?” Hiei demanded.  He was willing to speak with Shiori after the past week, and he was even thinking of introducing Yukina to her, he thought it would do her some good to get away from Genakai for a while.

“I’m sorry,”  Shiori said, after calming down, “But you two are acting like an old married couple!”  And with that she started laughing again.

Kurama and Hiei just looked at each other.  Then Kurama burst out laughing as well.  “She’s right Hiei, we do act like that.”  Hiei just glared at Kurama again.

“We do _not_ ” Hiei said with a slight grown.  Kurama just shot him a knowing look and Hiei flitted upstairs and out the window.

“He’ll never learn to use the door,” Kurama commented to himself.  Shiori shot Kurama a questioning look.  “Hiei left using the window again,” Kurama said in response to the unspoken question.

“Oh,” Shiori said.  Hiei seemed to have an aversion to using the door for some reason, she just couldn’t figure it out.

“Don’t try to figure out why he doesn’t use the door, I still haven’t,” Kurama said, almost like he knew her unspoken confusion.

“Shuuichi,” Shiori started to say, then stopped herself.  “I suppose I should call you Kurama now,” she continued.

“Please mother, you can still call me Shuuichi.”

Shiori smiled at that and continued with the question that was on her mind.  “Shuuichi, are you and Hiei together?”

Kurama stared at his mother in shock.  Of all the questions she could ask him, he had no idea how to respond to that.  He knew that the relationship they had was more than friendship, but Makai romances were much more complicated than simple human ones.  For one thing, in Makai it does not matter if one is male or female, or if your partner is the same as you, or even the same species.  Every single youkai in Makai is capable of reproducing and creating offspring, even if the couple is a same sex one.

Shiori watched as a variety of emotions flashed across her sons face.

Kurama sighed and sat back down next to his mother.  “In a way we are,” He said, trying to start and explain.  “Makai does not have the same rules Ningenkai does for love or reproduction or any of the other rules.”

“What do you mean by that?” Shiori asked.  Surely they reproduced, but how if what the couple was didn’t matter.

“Youkai do not need someone of the opposite sex to reproduce, though most demons prefer someone of the opposite sex from their species, as long as there is a contribution of two separate DNA samples, then any couple can reproduce,” Kurama explained turning almost as read as his hair from having to tell his mother this.

“Well, if you two want to be together, I’m not going to stop you,” Shiori said.  “I already said I didn’t care who or what you are, you are my son, and I gave birth to you, and I will always love you, no matter what.”

Kurama smiled, glad that his last hurdle was overcome.  There were no more secrets between them.  She knew everything about him, who he is, what he is, and who he loves.  Giving his mother a hug Kurama turned to go back upstairs to continue work on his school work.

Shiori started to head towards the kitchen to start dinner, before turning, “One last thing Shuuichi,” Shiori said, getting his attention before he could head back upstairs.

“Yes mother?” Kurama asked.

“I expect grandchildren,” Shiori said with a small smile before ducking into the kitchen to work on dinner.

A beet red Kurama managed to have his face match his hair color as he fled upstairs shutting his bedroom door behind him.

Hiei was sitting on his windowsill staring at Kurama as he entered the room.  And Kurama thought he was going to collapse, Hiei had heard.

“What has you so worked up?” Hiei asked.

Apparently he hadn’t heard.  Kurama turned even redder than before, before mumbling out, “Mother wants grandchildren.”

Hiei promptly fell out the window.


	3. Omake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This omake is a crossover with Inuyasha. It ties into another fanfic that I have written. It is quite long, but please enjoy.

It had been a few weeks since Shiori had found out everything, and Kurama had a puzzle on his mind. He distinctly remembered that the girl from the past wearing a school uniform that was found about halfway across town.

Kurama had done a lot of thinking in the past week or two. He’d decided - after he’d really scoured his memory - that he wanted to see if that girl was really from modern times. He remembered that she was traveling with a hanyou, a very young kitsune, a monk and a taiyaji and a fire-cat. Also, he remembers her speaking with an accent that he didn’t recognize at the time, but now he know is modern Tokyo Japanese, and not the country language that humans spoke back then.

Decided to figure out what was behind this conundrum, Kurama took off for where he knew the school was. Kurama did it the hard way though, he took normal human transportation, sure if he went across the roof-tops, he could be there quickly, but he decided that since he had some time off from school, being mid-semester break, that he’d go it the long way, besides, he didn’t have enough experience with that section of town from the rooftops to get to the school reliably anyways.

Walking down the street, Kurama found himself staring at a normal high school. All the girls were wearing long sleeve sailor tops with green collars and cuffs with short green pleated skirts, definitely what the girl was wearing in the past. He remembered the outfit sticking out in his mind because it was so unusual for the time period.

Kurama ground to a halt just outside the gate of the school. He could sense an extremely powerful miko inside the building, along with a suppressed yokai signature somewhere on the school grounds. Since the girl in the past was a miko, he figured he’d found her and her hanyou companion. Deciding to wait to see if he could stop the girl when she got out of school Kurama went window shopping for two hours, and returned when the school bell was just ringing.

Waiting outside the gate, he watched the girls go by; finally he spotted the source of the miko energy. It was the girl from the past, he had no idea how she was in both in modern Japan and Sengoku Jidai, but he was going to find out. He tailed the girl until she split from her friends; he also kept track of the yokai signature that was following the girl as well. Kurama had made sure to suppress his yoki enough that he felt just like a normal human to any people that could sense him.

When the girl split from her friends in front of a shrine, and headed up the steps, Kurama became curious. There was an odd feel about the shrine. The protection around the shrine had the same miko signature as the school-girl that he had followed here. He figured that this was her home.

Crossing the barrier onto the shrine property, Kurama could tell that there were some powerful protections on this place to keep evil out. He could feel the seals probing him, trying to determine if he was a threat or not. Deciding he was not, the slight resistance he felt from the seals lifted and he was able to complete climbing the stairs to the shrine proper without worry of being zapped or fried or any other unpleasant things happening to him.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Kurama was not surprised to see the girl at the top of the steps waiting for him. What did surprise him was that there was a longbow in her hands and a quiver of arrows on her back. He could sense the suppressed miko energy surround the girl, focused in the arrow on the string. Off to her right side, Kurama’s left stood a man out of another time. Kurama chuckled to himself as he saw that the man was wearing a baseball cap with his obviously out of date clothing. Kurama recognized the man as the hanyou that had been traveling with the group in the past. Well now he knew at least who the yokai signature belonged too for certain.

“What are you, and why are you here?” The girl asked.

Kurama chuckled. “Not who, but what, very astute miss. You obviously felt my presence with the seals. But I assure you, if I meant you harm, I would have not been able to pass. They are very well done, and very specific as well, as I know you need to let your hanyou companion here on the shrine grounds while keeping evil yokai out.”

The man growled and removed his baseball cap, throwing it aside, revealing his ears, and putting his hand on his sword. “Why are you here?” He growled out at the same time the girl lowered her bow and gave Kurama a strange look.

The girl shot a look at the man and then looked back at Kurama saying, “Why do you feel completely human when obviously you're not? Even modern concealment necklaces don't completely disguise ones yoki.”

“That is a long story, Miss…..” Kurama paused, silently asking for the woman’s name.

"Higurashi, Kagome, and this is Inuyasha,” She supplied.

“And I am Minamino, Kurama,” Kurama said, giving a modified version of his name in response. Kurama saw Inuyasha start at the 'Kurama' part of his name, but Kagome looked thoughtful. “As I was saying, Miss Kagome, that is a very long story. I would be glad to tell you, if in return, you told me how your friend here is in this time.”

Kagome started again, then gave him a long look. “Why are you so familiar?”

Kurama just smiled and released his grip on his yoki. The both started as his yokai signature seemed to flare into existence. “YOU!” Inuyasha shouted, pointing a clawed finger at Kurama.

Kagome sighed, as if used to this reaction. “Inuyasha, SIT!” Kagome said, and Kurama watched as the beaded necklace Inuyasha wore glowed with miko energy and then dragged his face down to meet the earth.

Kurama tried to stifle a smile and failed. Giving him a once over, Kagome motioned for him to follow her, and walked off towards the back of the shrine. Kurama followed, wondering where she was going. Turning the corner around the back of the house, Kurama stared in wonder at the huge tree that grew in the backyard. It was a sacred tree. Kurama could tell that just by looking at it. Its huge size along with the prayers festooned on its branches said that to any common passerby. But to Kurama, the tree blazed with power.

Walking up to the tree Kurama laid a palm on the bark and closed his eyes as a smile lit his face. The tree was old, very old. One of the oldest mortal tree’s he’d ever had the chance to see. Plants always responded to Kurama's presence, and the Goshinboku was no different.

Kagome watched this strange guy walked right up to the sacred tree. The moment he put his palm on the bark, the tree blazed to life in her senses. Kagome started forwards, but felt a restraining hand on her shoulder. Looking up Kagome realized that it was Inuyasha holding her back, a puzzled look on his face.

“What’s happening to the sacred tree?” Kagome asked, knowing his senses were much better at picking yoki than hers were, despite her miko powers.

“He’s talking to it,” Inuyasha said. “It looks like he’s a plant user, but if he is who I think he is, how is he here, and why doesn’t he look like he used too?”

“Who is he?” Kagome asked.

“I think he’s Yoko Kurama,” Inuyasha said.

“But he gave us back the jewel last week! What’s he doing here? _Now?_ ” Kagome exclaimed. If that was Yoko, then he’d changed a lot in 500 years, and with a human signature, as well as his yoki, what had happened to him? He’d been nice enough in the past. He hadn’t really wanted the jewel, just the challenge of taking it. He said didn’t want, or need its power, and had willingly given it back to them when their group had finally caught up to him.

“You are correct, Inuyasha,” Kurama said, finishing with the sacred tree. He was glad he’d come here now, he could learn a lot from that tree.

“WHAT!?” Kagome yelled, causing both Inuyasha and Kurama to wince with the volume of her voice.

“I am Yoko Kurama, but not the way you met me five hundred years ago,” Kurama said with a small smile, “But that does not explain how you are both now and then,” he continued. “Inuyasha I can understand, he could have lived all this time, but You, Miss Kagome, are a complete mystery. You have miko powers, and I remember you running around in that very outfit five hundred years in the past, which unless you somehow time-travel, is not possible.”

“I haven’t lived the whole time,” Inuyasha said.

“I do time-travel,” Kagome said the same time as Inuyasha.

Kurama blinked. “Then I believe it is a time for explanations then.” Kagome shot Inuyasha a look, and he nodded.

“You might as well come in then, Jii-chan and Momma aren’t home so we can talk in private, though they know what I do,” Kagome said, unlocking the sliding glass door in the back of the house and motioning Kurama in. Kurama sensed Inuyasha leap away and into a branch of the sacred tree.

Kurama followed Kagome inside, sliding off his shoes, and sliding on the guest slippers by the door. Kagome just kicked off her shoes and headed for the kitchen. “Would you like some tea?” she asked.

“Yes, please,” Kurama said. “I think this is going to be a long talk, and we will need it.” Kagome nodded in understanding and busied herself with the tea making.

Five minutes later, they were seated opposite each other in the living room, the tea on the coffee table between them. Kagome started the talk off first, explaining about the Shikon no Tama, how she fell in the well, and how she found out she was reincarnated, followed by what happened to the jewel.

“So that is why it was incomplete,” Kurama commented, thinking back.

“Well, it’s kinda still incomplete,” Kagome said. Kurama shot her a questioning look, “Pieces from both time’s can fuse to create one jewel, so it _is_ incomplete. Time-travel gives me a headache when I think about, but you get used to it I suppose.” Kagome refilled her tea. “Now, I believe it’s your turn?” she asked.

Kurama gave her a smile and launched into his own tale. Ten minutes later, Kagome was staring at Kurama. “I know it is hard to believe,” he said, leaning back on the couch.

“So that’s why there aren’t as many yokai here as in the past,” Kagome said with wonder in her voice. “I’ve always wondered what happened to them all.”

“Makai was sealed off from Ningenkai about two hundred years ago or so. Lord Enma didn’t want yokai running around on earth anymore, so he attempted to seal them on a separate plane, where all yokai originally came from. Of course there are still some that can go back and forth.”

“Like you?” Kagome said with a smile to soften the comment.

Kurama chuckled, “Yes, like me, and I believe Inuyasha’s brother as well.” Kagome started at the mention of Sesshomaru. “Now could you tell me about your companion?”

Kagome looked hesitant for a minute. “It’s not my story to tell.”

“That’s fine,” Kurama said standing, “If you don’t mind, I'm going to go back outside.”

“Go ahead,” Kagome said.

With that Kurama was at the door slipping his shoes back on. Walking back to the sacred tree, Kurama spotted the branch Inuyasha was on, and jumped to join him.

Inuyasha jumped and stared at Kurama calmly sitting on the same branch as him, though farther from the trunk of than Inuyasha, since Inuyasha was using the trunk as a backrest. “How the hell did you get up here?!” Inuyasha almost yelled at Kurama.

“Same as you,” Kurama said, enjoying the view of the city that the tree offered. Kurama wouldn’t be surprised if Hiei hadn’t frequented the tree before.

Kagome had come out of the house and was watching the two of them in the tree. Realizing that nothing bad was going to happen, Kagome shook her head and went back inside the house to get ready for another trip to the past.

“What do you mean?” Inuyasha asked.

“I jumped,” Kurama said. “I know you felt my yoki, you should know who I am, according to Miss Kagome, you just got the jewel back from me last week.”

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes in a glare, “So I was right,” it wasn’t a question, but Kurama nodded yes anyways. “What happened to you then, you’re not the same, and you’re not wearing one of those concealment things.”

“I died,” came the calm, simple response from the red-head.

“YOU WHAT!?” Inuyasha yelled, almost losing his balance.

“You heard me, a yokai hunter found me seventeen years ago, killed me, and before my spirit could cross over I found refuge in an unborn human child.”

“So how do you have yoki then?” Inuyasha asked.

“When you put the soul of a nine-tail kitsune in the body of a human baby, the power of the kitsune basically overrides the human,” Kurama explained.

“Wait, you were only an eight-tails when we met you!” Inuyasha interrupted.

“I got another tail about two hundred and fifty years after I met you in the past,” Kurama said. Looking at Inuyasha, Kurama gave him an interesting look, “I could almost be considered hanyou now, though I have all of my original power, and I can enter my true form.”

Inuyasha stared. Kurama just shook his head and shifted form, startling Inuyasha again, within a few seconds Yoko Kurama was sitting on the tree branch, and with a smirk from Yoko, a few seconds later Inuyasha was staring at a silver nine-tail kitsune sharing his branch with him.

 _Surprised?_ Kurama asked, startling Inuyasha. _You should have heard that kit that travels with you talk like this before now._ Seeing Inuyasha’s confused look, Kurama laughed a canine laugh, tongue rolling slightly out to one side. _You mean to tell me, you have traveled with a kitsune for over a year, and you have yet to see his true form?_ Inuyasha shook his head negative. Kurama shook his head. _I’ll need to have a chat with that kit_ he said before shifting strait back to Shuuichi.

“Why are you here?” Inuyasha finally asked he was a bit shocked by the transformations; his brother’s had always included huge smoke clouds that blinded his enemy, he'd never seen a transformation that subtle.

“Curiosity,” Was the calm and simple answer.

“You came here, outta curiosity?!”

“I remembered that the school uniform Miss Kagome wore in the past and that it is the same as a uniform in a school across town, so I came to see if I could find out who it is. I felt her miko powers and I figured it was her,” Kurama explained.

“So what do you want with me?” Inuyasha asked.

“I don’t want anything from you,” Kurama said. “I just wanted to know how Miss Kagome could be both now and then, and since I found my answer, that is all I need.”

Inuyasha gave Kurama a skeptical look, he didn’t seem convinced.

“If I was here to fight you, I would have never have made it onto the shrine grounds,” Kurama elaborated.

“The bitch’s barrier?”

“Exactly. It only lets through people without evil intentions onto the shrine grounds,” Kurama stood on the branch. “Now, I want to take a look at that well.” Jumping down, Kurama went back to the house to ask Kagome if it was alright if he tried the well himself.

Kagome asked him to wait for her. She was heading back to the past, and she was almost finished getting ready. While waiting Kurama checked what seeds he had on him, just in case it did work, he didn’t want to be caught unaware if anything attacked him. Satisfied by his selection (just the normal things, like, the Death Tree, a couple other man-eating Makai plants, his favorite roses, some interesting Rekai plants, among various others) Kurama returned to the Sacred tree, loving the feeling of power contained within it.

Three minutes later Kagome was ready to go and Kurama trailed her and Inuyasha to the well. Before they jumped in, Kagome turned to Kurama, she seemed to be thinking hard for a few minutes before she placed a glowing hand on Kurama’s chest.

“What was that?” Kurama asked. He didn’t feel any different, but he wanted to be sure.

“How do I put it,” Kagome said thoughtfully. “The well only lets miko’s and hanyou’s through, though occasionally it will let yokai, I believe I told you that right?” Kurama nodded. “So I basically labeled you as hanyou, even though you aren’t really. While I was getting ready I thought about how I could get you through the well.”

“But you didn’t do anything other than that?”

“No,” Kagome said shaking her head. “I just did a minor change to your aura, but it’s not permanent, the change will dissipate once you are back here after the trip.” Looking at Inuyasha, she said, “Remind me to try that with Shippo when we’re back, I want to see if it will work for him.”

Kurama nodded his acceptance after a quick check of his yoki for himself, he could still access it, and he could tell that he could still shift forms too, if he so wished.

The three of them jumped into the well, Inuyasha first, Kurama last. They were surrounded by a purple pink light before coming to land lightly at the bottom of the well. Inuyasha immediately leaped out, taking Kagome’s enormous backpack with him. Kagome started climbing a ladder that had been placed there, and Kurama simply leapt out once Kagome was at the top.

Kurama stopped, standing on the edge of the well. He instantly recognized the sacred tree, and it was huge even five hundred years previous. There was a quality to the air that made Kurama smile. There was none of the modern pollution he had grown used to over his years in the human world; even the air in Makai did not smell this fresh and alive, in fact, the Makai tended to smell of death and despair more than anything.

Kagome looked at the smile on Kurama’s face, “I know how you feel,” she said, startling him out of his thoughts. Kurama shot her a curious look. “It’s nicer now that in our time. Less pollution, more nature, it’s just nicer.” With that Kagome grabbed her bag from where Inuyasha had put it on the ground next to the well. Hefting the large yellow backpack she started walking towards the village motioning for Kurama to follow. Kagome knew that Inuyasha was probably already back at the hut, and the group would be waiting for her. She just hoped that Inuyasha had enough sense to tell the group there was another person with her.

Apparently Inuyasha had not thought of informing the rest of the group of their visitor, and when everyone rushed from the hut in greeting, everyone except Shippo stopped in their tracks to stare at the stranger among them.

“Oka-san!” Shippo yelled, glomping his adopted mother. He was ignoring the new person for the sake of being in his mother’s arms. Looking at the new person with them, Shippo took a distinct sniff, getting the new persons scent. “You smell like kitsune, but only a quarter,” he said, looking at Kurama from the circle Kagome’s arms.

 _So that’s what I come across as, a quarter kitsune,_ Kurama thought looking at the small yokai child in Kagome's arms. _I can’t believe how young the kit is! He can’t be more than ten! From the way she was talking he sounded at least a little older. I did not realize just how young he is when I saw him the first time._

Kagome shot Inuyasha a look that said ‘you should have told them’. “What do you want us to call you?” Kagome asked Kurama looking between him and the group.

“You may all call me Kurama,” he said with a small bow. “It is a pleasure to meet all of you, Kagome’s told me a bit about your group.” Before anyone could reply, Kilala ran up to Kurama. Looking down at the small fire-cat Kurama noticed the two tails and smiled. “And who might you be, little one,” Kurama asked the cat, kneeling down to her level, holding out a hand palm down that the fire-cat delicately sniffed.

Sango watched in surprise as Kilala gave a string of sounds that sounded like speech, something she had rarely heard from the fire-cat before, it sounded like a lot of short little meows, some growls and a few that sounded like yowels as well. It was the most speech-like sounds they had ever heard the fire-cat make.

“It is a pleasure to meet you Kilala, and there is no need for the honorific, though I am honored,” Kurama said in response to Kilala’s greeting.

Kilala responded with another string of yowels, and rubbed against Kurama’s hand before jumping onto Sango's shoulder.

“She’s very loyal to you,” Kurama said looking at Sango.

“What was that all about?” Sango asked.

“Don’t tell me you never learned how to talk to her,” Kurama said with a small smile.

Sango gave him a long look, “I can understand some of what she says, but she never says a lot to me directly. I haven’t had the chance to really sit down and learn the fire-cat language.” Sango gave him a once over and another long look. “What I want to know is how _you_ know the language.”

“You must be Sango,” Kurama said with a smile, “Kagome told me how you came to join the group, I understand you come from a village of yokai slayers?”

Sango nodded, her eyes not leaving Kurama. “My village was destroyed a year ago.”

“I am sorry for your loss. I remember that village. I even donated a fang to one of the founding families for a sword, in return for them not hunting me,” Kurama said.

Sango stared at him, she knew that story, though the sword had been lost when its last wielder had fallen in battle well before she had been born. _How can that be him? He looks human, and there isn’t a lot of yoki coming off him, how does he know about that?_

Kaede started and looked at Kurama closely. Kurama returned her gaze evenly. “Why do ye look human, when obviously ye are not?”

Looking around and realizing that some of the villagers had crowded around, Kurama motioned for them to go inside. “I will gladly explain when we are away from prying ears.”

Miroku also gave Kurama a once over before fingering the beads on his right hand. “I do not sense any evil intent from you, I think it would be alright,” Miroku nodded to Kaede and they all entered the hut, except Shippo, who ran off to play with some of the village children, arranging themselves around the fire pit in the center of the floor. Kagome helped Kaede get tea started and everyone waited until they had a cup (except Inuyasha, he was sitting with his back against the wall of the hut, legs and arms crossed, just staring at Kurama).

“So how do ye know Kagome?” Kaede asked Kurama once everyone was settled.

“And how come you’re able to get through the well?” Sango asked.

“The well part was a little difficult,” Kagome said, taking care of that question. “While I was getting ready to return I thought about who’s allowed to get through the well. So I decided to see if I could change Kurama’s aura so that the well would work. I actually wasn’t sure it would work until he jumped in, I need to remember to try that with Shippo,” Kaede nodded at that, they had experimented with the well and had figured out some of its limitations.

“But Shippo said you smelled like a quarter kitsune,” Sango said.

“That,” Kurama said, “Is a long an interesting story. But as I don’t feel like relaying the whole thing I will just give you the basics.”

Sango and Miroku looked a little perturbed at not getting the whole story, but Kaede just looked on with curiosity. Kagome was trying not to smile, having heard what had happened and was imagining her friends reactions to just who he was. Inuyasha on the other hand wasn’t paying any attention to what was going on in the hut. He had his senses trained on listening to what was going on outside, he could hear Shippo playing and villagers walking around, but he didn’t sense anything coming.

“Miss Kagome tells me that you ran into a kitsune yokai a little over a week ago called Yoko Kurama, am I correct?” At the affirmative nods Kurama continued, “I am that yokai, though slightly changed and from Kagome’s time.”

“WHAT!?” “NO!” “What happened to ye?” Miroku, Sango and Kaede all said at once.

Kurama sighed going for the simple explanation, “I died,” he said, and then had to try not to laugh at the reactions on their faces.

“You died?” Sango asked shocked.

“You couldn’t have, you wouldn’t be here otherwise,” Miroku added.

“So that’s why ye are in a human body,” Kaede said, seeming to understand what had happened.

“I was tracked through Makai, another plane of existence where yokai come from,” Kurama explained quickly at their confusion, “A hunter managed to trap me while I was grieving for a partner who had died, and he killed me. Before I could cross over I fled to Ningenkai, this world, and entered a human child that did not yet have a soul.”

“So now you have a human body?” Sango asked, curious, she had never heard of anything like that happening before and was immensely curious.

“Almost,” Kurama said, and continued at their confused looks, “When you put a Kitsune as strong as I am, in the body of a human child, things are bound to change. My human body was altered by my yoki so that, though this body may look human, it in fact is not, though I retain the ability to appear human, and if I do not wish to be detected as a yokai, I can also hide my yoki completely.”

“I think that’s enough for now,” Kagome interrupted, before they could pepper Kurama with more questions. They already had enough to think about anyways. “Didn’t you guys say something about another shard before I went home?” Sango and Miroku nodded, Inuyasha just ‘Keh’d’. “Then I had better go find Shippo so that we can go,” Kagome said, standing up and leaving the hut to look for the kit.

Miroku grabbed his travel bag and put a few things in it before trying to grope Sango while she also put some things away. Feeling Miroku’s hand on her bottom, Sango slapped him and yelled “HENTAI!” and stalked out of the hut leaving Miroku swirly eyed on the floor.

“Are they always like that?” Kurama asked Inuyasha.

“Feh, worse,” The hanyou said before also leaving the hut.

“Before ye go,” Kaede said as Kurama was just about to exit himself, “I would like a word.”

“Yes Kaede-sama?” Kurama said sitting back down.

Kaede smiled, “No need to be so formal, but I do appreciate it.” She continued after taking a sip of her tea, “I would just like to know what brought ye to our time.”

“Ah,” Kurama said. “I first thought of finding Kagome in her time, when, while telling my human mother just who I am, I remember an encounter I’d had about five hundred years in the past. I made the connection between the school uniform, from our time, and what she wore, here, in the past.” Kaede nodded in understanding and Kurama continued, “I also know what school has that uniform, so I went and looked to see if I recognized anyone, and Kagome was there. I followed her to her shrine and she confronted me. I told her about myself and she told me about you in the past. I decided that I wanted to meet all of you and also I wanted to talk to Shippo if I could.”

Kaede looked a little surprised at the mention of Shippo. “What about the child?” she asked.

“Inuyasha made me realize that you had never seen his true form and I wondered why, then I remember just how young he is, though seeing him now I realize that I actually thought he was older than he is, so I thought he would like to have some help from a fellow Kitsune.” Kaede smiled at that. “I also just wanted a chance to breathe clean air again. I believe Inuyasha complains about Kagome’s time, our time, and he is correct, even in places where nature is still wild, you can smell what people have done.”

“I could tell that ye meant no harm before ye told me what ye just did. I am glad that Shippo will have someone like himself around for a little bit, he tries hard to get along with the village children, but some people will never get over their fear of yokai,” Kaede told him.

“I will be sure nothing happens to the kit,” Kurama said, and bowed to Kaede before leaving.

A few minutes later Miroku had been woken up, and Kagome had retrieved Shippo from his friends. Everyone was ready to head off looking for the next shard.

“Are you sure you want to accompany us for a while?” Kagome asked.

Kurama nodded, “I have a few days off school myself, and I missed this time. Nature is much grander now than in our time.”

Kagome nodded in agreement. “Alright, if that’s what you want.”

“Hopefully you’ll come in handy in a fight,” Inuyasha said before starting to walk down the path.

Miroku shrugged and followed, his staff jingling slightly. Kagome turned to Sango and the two of them walked off together after Inuyasha, Shippo on Kagome’s shoulder, and Kilala on Sango’s.

Kurama just shrugged and followed them into the woods. They walked a fair bit of the afternoon before they decided to stop. Apparently the shard wasn’t too far away and apparently it wasn’t moving because according to what Kagome could sense of the shard, it’s was fairly stationary.

After they made camp Kurama pulled Shippo aside and into a nearby clearing. “Now Shippo,” Kurama said, once it was just the two of them. “I understand that the group has never seen your true form.” Shippo looked at the ground sheepishly, scratching at the dirt with a pawed foot. “Care to tell me why?”

“I don’t help when oka-san fights, I’m not really old enough. My parents didn’t get a chance to really train me before they were killed, so I don’t actually know how to fight in my true form.”

Kurama nodded, smiling at the small kit, “Well then I guess I’ll have to teach you then,” he said eliciting a gasp from Shippo.

“But how can you?” Shippo asked. “You’re not even a hanyou! You only smell like a quarter fox! You shouldn’t have a fox form!”

Kurama smiled. “You should never underestimate someone. I am a kitsune soul in a human body.” And with that Kurama shifted into his Yoko form.

“We fought you just over a week ago!” Shippo yelled in shock.

“No,” Kurama corrected the kit. “You fought the me of this time last week. I am the Yoko Kurama from Kagome’s time. And, before you ask, there is a very good reason for me having a human body, but I’m not going to get into that now.”

“Wait!” Shippo exclaimed. “How come you have ears like Inuyasha? You had ears like mine when we saw you here.”

Kurama gave Shippo a confused look, and after a moment smiled, “I’d completely forgotten about that illusion. I started keeping my ears like this after I got my ninth tail.” Getting a sparkle in his eyes, Kurama continued, “I’d trick people into thinking I was a hanyou, and that I was of no use to them, so they would leave me alone and underestimate my power.”

Shippo smiled, it was a great prank, and his smile grew wider as Kurama’s large fox ears became smaller and shifted to where normal ears would be, gaining a point on the top. Standing there Kurama would have looked normal if no one looked for his tail. “So what are we going to do?” Shippo asked, eager to learn from such a powerful kitsune.

“First off,” Kurama said, “Do you know how large you actually are in your true form?” Shippo shook his head. Kurama nodded scanning Shippo’s yoki to gauge his strength and continued, “Have you seen any yokai in their true form?” Another nod from the kit. “Who were they?” he asked.

“Sesshomaru,” Shippo said with a little bit of a shudder.

Kurama had to think for a minute to remember who Sesshomaru was and how big he was, “Well you shouldn’t be that big, since you’re so young,” Kurama softened that comment with a smile, showing he didn’t mean anything by it, “But you should be at least a quarter his size.” Walking to the edge of the clearing, and leaning against a tree he said, “Alright, let’s see how big you really are, once I know that I’ll match your size and start showing you some techniques.”

“How big are you?” Shippo asked curious.

Kurama gave another smirk of his, that Shippo was learning quickly meant that Kurama was going to reveal something on the rather interesting side. After appearing to think for a moment, Kurama said, “I’m larger than Sesshomaru, I’m sure of that, but I do not remember how large I actually am. I usually stay as a normal sized fox when I am in my true form in my time. A huge multi-tailed fox showing up in Kagome’s time would attract a lot of unwanted attention.”

“Wait, you can change your size? And what do you mean you’re larger then Sesshomaru!? How do you know you’re larger?” Shippo asked surprised. Sesshomaru was _huge_ when he transformed, he always towered over all of them.

“I ran into Sesshomaru a few hundred years after you guys in my timeline. He was in the Makai and he got it in his head to challenge me,” Kurama smiled at the memory, “I was literally looking down at him.”

“Sugoi!” Shippo cried. “Alright, let’s see how big I really am!” Kurama nodded and watched as the young kitsune shifted forms but without the smoke of Sesshomaru’s transformation. When Shippo transformed he seemed to pulse before the change started at his head and traveled down his body. Because he didn’t have a lot of experience with controlling his size he didn’t know how to control it and grew to be about fifteen or twenty feet tall, he only had a single tail, but being less than ten human years old, Kurama was not surprised. Shippo’s fur was the same color as his hair, a kind of honey brown, his paws were white, and the tip of his tail and his stomach were also white. He had the same green eyes as his more human from, but his tail was not nearly as fluffy.

Kurama nodded and shifted forms, going straight to Shippo’s size, not bothering with being the size of a normal fox first. There next to Shippo now stood an all silver fox of the same height with nine tails waving behind him. _Alright_ Kurama said, _I’m going to show you some warm ups you can do, big or small, and we’ll work on using your tail to fight, and how to control your size._

Shippo nodded his understanding and began to copy what Kurama was showing him - kata’s developed for a fox body rather than a humanoid one. Kurama continued to instruct the young Kitsune until about dinner time when they both shrunk down to normal fox size - Shippo with a few tries - and headed for the camp the group had made by the road. Shippo was still full of energy, despite working hard for a good part of the evening, and bounded back into camp Kurama hot on his heels, mock chasing him. It was rare that either of them got to have fun with someone like themselves and they were both enjoying it immensely.

Shippo tackled Kurama just as they reached the edge of camp, but Kurama managed to turn them so that he landed on top of Shippo right in the middle of camp. _I got you kit,_ everyone heard Kurama say in their minds making them all jump.

Shippo’s laugh then echoed in their head as well, _I can try can’t I?_ The younger kitsune asked making everyone realize just who had bounded into their camp.

Sango and Miroku were shocked by the tails on Kurama. They knew that he was the one that had stolen the jewel from them just over a week ago now, and who had then turned around and given it back. Only Inuyasha knew how many tails he had though, having had that separate confrontation with Yoko and the little demonstration he put on in the Goshinboku in Kagome’s time, but Inuyasha was off hunting and was not there to see everyone’s reactions.

“Nine tails?” Miroku said a startled look on his and Sango’s faces.

Kurama untangled himself from the kit and curled up next to the camp fire, amber eyes glittering while Shippo climbed in a startled Kagome’s lap. Kagome answered the fox’s silent plea by starting to stroke his head and ears. _I only had eight when I encountered you the first time_ Kurama said. _I gained another about two hundred years later._

“Is that why you weren’t interested in the Jewel for its power?” Sango asked. “If you already had eight tails you are already extremely powerful.” Miroku nodded this agreement with the slayer.

 _Partly true,_ Kurama said. _The main reason I took the jewel was to just see if I could. For it to actually grant me any power it would have to be complete. But I do not need more power. I am happy with my plants, and the challenge that fighting in Makai gives me when I feel like it._ Kurama yawned showing his long canines, and curled his tails around himself, using them as a pillow to place his head on. _There is no challenge; no fun in life if you get everything handed to you on a platter. If I used the jewel, I would become so over-powerful that nothing would be a challenge anymore, and I like things to be a challenge._

“Do you really mean that?” Miroku asked, curious. He was having trouble understanding the yokai that now traveled with them.

 _Yes,_ Kurama said, _I really do mean that. I live on challenges, be it playing pranks as a trickster, or having a challenge in a fight. If there is no challenge there is nothing to work for, and nothing to live for._

Miroku nodded. “I suppose that I can understand that, if I was never challenged by anything again I would become bored very quickly.”

Sango agreed as well. “I don’t think I would be happy if I no longer had anything to fight for, if everything was easy, there would be no sense in doing any of it.”

The group fell into a semi-comfortable silence for a few minutes.

“So what did the two of you do today?” Kagome asked Shippo breaking the silence . “You were gone after we made camp.”

 _Kurama’s teaching me how to fight_ Shippo said. _He knows a lot of cool stuff, and he can show me how to use my true form too, it’s really neat. He showed me a lot of cool moves and I even learned some attacks and everything!_ The young kit rambled off, making Kagome smile.

Inuyasha chose that moment to return to camp, he’d gone off hunting for something for dinner. Throwing three gutted and cleaned rabbits wrapped in leaves next to the fire he looked at the two foxes sitting with the group. Inuyasha took a sniff of the air, “So that’s who I smelled,” He said. “The two of you sure were all over that field that you used, I could smell you while I was hunting.”

 _I would not worry about an attack,_ Kurama said looking up at Inuyasha. _Any yokai in their right mind should sense me and go in the opposite direction, especially when I am in this form._ A canine grin formed on Kurama’s face, showing his canines, his tongue lolling out.

“Why?” Sango asked.

 _My aura for one_ , Kurama said, _Secondly, the only yokai ever to challenge me in this form managed to live to regret it._

“Anyone we might know?” Miroku asked.

 _Hmm, I believe you are familiar with Sesshomaru? Shippo mentioned him earlier, if I remember correctly, which I probably do, him and I had a rather… aggressive encounter in the Makai about three hundred years from now, your time,_ Kurama said to surprised look all around.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Both Miroku and Sango said at the same time. “What do you mean that he regretted it?” Sango continued.

 _I am larger than he is_ Kurama said. _And I am more powerful._

Now it was Inuyasha’s turn to gape at Kurama. Kagome on the other hand couldn’t stifle her giggles anymore and burst out laughing. “What’s so funny bitch?” Inuyasha demanded looking at Kagome like she had just grown another head. Sango and Miroku were also wondering what had Kagome laughing. It wasn’t every day that they found out that a traveling companion was stronger than Sesshomaru.

“All of your reactions,” Kagome said calming down enough to talk. “I guessed how strong Kurama was when he flared his power for me at the shrine. Finding out he’s got more than Sesshomaru isn’t that much of a surprise.”

Kurama shot Kagome a canine grin. _Indeed. I had not realized just how much yoki I had flared, though I was unconcerned about being followed at the time, because that barrier you put around the shrine hides the activity of the aura’s inside._

Kagome shot Kurama a look, “I didn’t know my barrier could do that.”

 _You want it to protect right?_ Kurama asked.

“Yes, that’s originally what I set it up for, to keep evil entities out of the shrine and to protect those inside,” Kagome answered realized just what she had created, even if she hadn’t meant to.

 _Exactly,_ Kurama said. _You want that barrier to protect those inside. Part of that protection is hiding any activity from within, making it seem unworthy of a powerful entities time._ Standing, Kurama stretched and shifted back to his human form. “C’mon kit,” He said to Shippo, “You should change back too.”

 _But I’m comfy,_ Shippo said from where he was curled in Kagome’s lap.

“I know you are,” Kurama said with a gentle smile. “But you don’t have the best control over your size and what would you do if you lost control in your sleep and Kagome suddenly had a fifteen foot fox in her lap?”

 _Fine_ Shippo said with what sounded like a sigh, and changed back without leaving Kagome’s lap.

“He’s already that big?” Inuyasha interjected from his tree-branch. At Kurama nod, he shot Shippo a long look. “You must have potential pup,” he said, “if you’re that big already.” Shippo beamed at the praise, even if it came in a round-about way, having his father-figure praise him was the best thing for the kit.

Sitting by the fire Kurama watched the group. They acted much as the tantei did. It was obvious that they cared for each other greatly, even if they refused to admit it to anyone or each other. He also paid close attention to Kagome and Inuyasha. Suddenly he remembered something incredibly important and choked on the food he was eating. The sound of his spasmatic coughing caught the groups attention and soon all eye were on him.

“Is something wrong?” Sango asked him. They all looked concerned. They’d all been eating the rabbit quietly and then Kurama had just started chocking on his food.

“I just remember something that I’d forgotten a while ago and I didn’t make the connection until now,” Kurama said. He really didn’t want to tell them that he’d remembered what they end up using the jewel to wish for. He knew it hadn’t happened yet, in either time, and the only way he would know about it and it not having occurred yet was for it to be sometime between this time in sengoku Jidai and his and Kagome’s time.

“Does it have anything to do with us?” Kagome asked him, curious. He knew a lot about history (having lived through a lot of it) and he also knew what happened between her travels with the gang and her time at home, or at least she had a feeling that he did.

“Yes, but it is not yet time for you to know that. Inari,” Kurama said to himself, “Why didn’t I figure that out sooner?”

“What do you mean ‘not yet time’?” Miroku asked from his position across the fire.

“What I mean is that the event hasn’t happy yet, for any of you anyway, and so I’m not going to tell you because messing with time is not something to be taken lightly,” Kurama said with a tone of finality.

Everyone was willing to drop the subject after that. Kagome had a feeling that it had something to do with the Jewel, but she let it go and the group enjoyed the rest of their dinner in silence.

 

———————

 

The next day was much the same. The group broke camp in the early morning and travel most of the day without much incident. The stopped about midafternoon and Kurama took Shippo aside once again and they worked on different techniques as well as Shippo’s control over his fox fire, which wasn’t the best but he quickly learned how to make it, at least in his large form, but he was having trouble in his more human form. Kurama could make it easily both as Shuuichi and as Yoko, but he never used it because the fire was often at odds with his plants, and there aren’t very many flame retardant plants out there. But Shippo wasn’t a plant user, he used illusions mostly and so he should learn to control his foxfire.

Once everyone had settled down to eat and had made camp for the night Kurama turned to Shippo, “Alright kit,” He said. “I know we worked on your foxfire earlier but I want to you try calling a flame from the campfire to you.” Kurama said. He’d waited until night because he knew they would have a fire and that way he wouldn’t have to go make one himself.

“Kitsune can do that?” Kagome asked.

Sango and Miroku were now listening closely as well, Inuyasha was up in a tree but he could probably hear the whole conversation anyways.

Kurama nodded a yes to her question, “Kitsune can use _kitsune-bi_ , which is the blue flame that’s created purely from yoki, or they can use normal fire and maintain it with their yoki.” Looking back at Shippo Kurama continued, “Now, watch what I do closely and also try to feel what I’m doing with my yoki that way you’ll know what to do.” Kurama then held out his hand palm up and after a second a tendril of fire reached from the campfire and towards his hand. Forming a teardrop shape in his palm the fire kept burning merrily. “Did you see what I did?” He asked Shippo, letting the fire fade from his hand.

The rest of the group had watched in fascination and they could all feel the ever so slight yoki maintaining the flame in Kurama’s hand. Kagome was fascinated. These were skills and abilities she’d never dreamed of yokai having. Not that she knew a lot about yokai, but she was learning, and she seemed to be getting a crash course on kitsune with Kurama around.

Kagome, Sango and Miroku had all watched and sensed what Kurama had done as well. All three found it fascinating. As they looked at each other over the camp fire they came to the agreement that they’d be quiet and watch the rest of the lesson before asking any more questions.

Shippo then tried to recreate what Kurama had just done. Holding out his hand the small kit concentrated on the fire before him and reached out with his yoki, after a couple of false starts, he felt it touch the fire and drew a small bit of flame to his hand. Once he had some flame in his hand he kept it going like he normally would with his fox fire. Shippo beamed up at Kurama once he had the fire in his hand, he’d done it!

“Good,” Kurama said, ruffling the kits hair, “You can do that, now, I want you to try and keep the flame going when I pass it to you,” and with that blue foxfire seemed to erupt around his hand before collecting in his palm in a small ball. Shippo let the fire in his hand die and reached for what Kurama held. The flame slowly moved from Kurama’s hand to Shippo’s with only a slight sputtering when it changed hands. “Very good kit,” Kurama said and ruffled Shippo’s hair again. “You’ve got the hang of everything, you just need to practice some more. You should try controlling flame without your hands. It comes in handy when you’re fox shaped and you want to use fire for a sneak attack. If you don’t need to use your hands you can make the fire appear somewhere else and surprise the enemy.”

Shippo just beamed up at Kurama some more then looked at Kagome, “Oka-san were you watching?” the young kitsune asked.

Kagome nodded her head and held out her arms. Shippo jumped into them and Kagome gave him a hug saying, “I’m very proud of you Shippo, you’ve learned a lot and pretty quickly too.” Shippo beamed with the praise, Kagome, smiling at the look reached over and dug in her backpack for something. Finding what she was looking for she gave Shippo a lollipop and the kit eagerly put the sucker in his mouth and sat in his mother’s lap. Kagome looked up from the kit in her lap. “I’ve been meaning to ask,” She said looking at Kurama, “Why do you call him kit?” Sango and Miroku looked up from their food. They had been wondering something similar.

“Have you noticed that Inuyasha calls him pup?” Kurama asked answering her question with one of his own.

Kagome nodded, “I’ve heard him call Shippo that before,” She answered.

“Inuyasha calls him that because he’s part Inu-yokai and Inu’s call their young, pups, just like kitsune call their young kits. Dogs have pups foxes have kits,” Kurama shrugged, “I call him that because that’s what he is. I hadn’t even realized I’d been saying that until you just mentioned it.”

Miroku broke the following silence by asking about kitsune lore and Sango followed that by asking what he knew about her village since he’d mentioned donating a fang. Kurama spent the rest of the evening in conversation with his new friends. But in the back of his mind he wondered what their reactions would be to what happens with the jewel.

Finally everyone settled in for the night, and Kurama jumped into a tree on the edge of camp much like Inuyasha and got comfortable on a large lower branch. Shippo curled up into a small ball next to Kagome and Kagome, Sango, and Miroku all climbed into bedrolls for the night.

 

——————

 

The next morning dawned bright, showing that it was going to be beautiful day out. They actually didn’t manage to get very far from their morning camp before about twenty five bandits burst from the bushed around them. Inuyasha put his hand on his sword hilt and growled while Kagome grabbed her bow and Sango put a hand on Hiraikotsu’s strap, ready to throw the giant boomerang. Kurama on the other hand pulled what looked like a rose from his hair. He just smiled at the groups confusing glances.

The bandits didn’t even say a thing as they all charged with a yell at the group. Sango took five out with the first swing of Hiraikotsu and Miroku managed to knock a few out before they turned to see what the rest of the group was doing. Shippo it turns out had set three of the bandits clothing on fire and they were running around trying to put it out, but what startled them the most was the six passed out bandits laying in a circle around Kurama, and the rose in his hand was gone replaced by a green thorny whip. The bandits were covered in long thin red lines, showing where the whip had hit them.

Inuyasha had taken care of the rest of the bandits and turned to look at how the group had fared. Seeing the whip in Kurama’s hand Inuyasha groaned, “Why do ya have to use a whip?” he asked him.

“What do you mean?” Kurama asked, and the group watched fascinated as Kurama changed the whip back into a rose with a flick of the wrist and then the rose shrank to a seed which Kurama placed in his hair.

“Sesshomaru uses a whip,” Kagome said, and snickered at the surprised look on Kurama’s face.

Sango nodded, “But his is made of yoki and it poisons anything it touches.”

“Really?” Kurama asked and the group gave a semi-collective nod. “I’ve never seen it, he usually prowls Makai in his true form and I’ve never actually seen his adult human form.”

“He only uses the damn thing when he’s in human form,” Inuyasha confirmed. “I’ve never seen him use it in his true form. And we’ve fought him a couple a times with him like that.”

“His spit is acidic though, remember?” Kagome said remembering the first time she met the Taiyokai. She then reached down and picked up the backpack she’d dropped when grabbing her bow. “Can we walk and talk at the same time?” Kagome asked before motioning ahead of them and away from the passed out and moaning bandits.

Figuring that getting away from the bandits _would_ be a good idea the group quickly started moving again.

“Do you fight with just a whip or do you use other weapons?” Miroku asked Kurama was they were walking.

Kurama shook his head. “I mostly use plants as weapons but I do sometimes use energy and physical attacks, though I do prefer my rose whip,” he said.

“How can plants really be weapons?” Sango asked curious.

Kurama gave a grin that suddenly made Sango nervous, “There are certain plants in Makai that are not as… tame as the ones here,” Kurama finally said.

Inuyasha snorted. “What use are plants in a fight?”

“You’d be surprised, Inuyasha,” Kurama said. “There is one plant that I use sometimes, commonly called the Death Tree,” And he smiled at the looks on the groups faces.

“Death Tree?” Kagome said in a small voice.

“Something tells me it’s not a very nice plant,” Miroku commented.

“You’re right,” Kurama said, “It’s not a nice plant. When fully grown every branch has a mouth, and the mouths drip an acid that can eat through flesh fairly quickly. It doesn’t make an effective weapon though, unless you want your opponent to suffer.”

Kagome looked ready to gag at the description. Sango wasn’t ready to gag, but she had paled some, and even Miroku had paled a little bit. Shippo was staring at Kurama, the description hadn’t really bothered him, but he did think it was pretty cool how Kurama could use plants to do things like that, but then ya know, Shippo _is_ a yokai.

“Sadistic bastard,” Inuyasha commented.

“Inuyasha!” Kagome said, abashed by the hanyou’s use of words.

“You shouldn’t say that to him,” Sango said getting over the image Kurama’s description made her think of.

Miroku just make like he was going to bop Inuyasha on his head with the staff that he carried.

They all stopped though when Kurama started chuckling, “It doesn’t bother me,” Kurama finally said. “I’ve been called much worse in my four thousand years.”

“Four thousand!?” Miroku said in shock.

Kurama stopped walking and looked at the monk, “What?” was all he said.

“You’re seriously four thousand years old?” Sango asked turning to look at Kurama.

“Well the me of this time is only about thirty five hundred, but the way I am now, yes, I’ve been around for over four thousand years, why do you ask?” Kurama replied to Sango’s question.

“It’s just hard to believe you’re that old,” Kagome said, looking apologetic. “I think of human life spans compared to yokai’s and I just wonder at the fact that they never grow old and die.” Kurama though he saw a flash of emotion in Inuyasha’s eyes at Kagome’s words, but it was gone so fast that he doubted what he saw, but remembering what he knew about the couple in front of him he couldn’t seem to chalk it up to an overactive imagination.

“My brother’s only about seven seventy or so,” Inuyasha commented and the group turned to look at him, startled. He was rarely so forthcoming with personal information, even if it was about Sesshomaru and not really himself.

“He’s that young?” Kurama commented and the group’s attention swung back to him. Then he snapped his fingers, “I remember now, he’s closer to seven eighty but close enough. I forgot he had to grow up in the Inu no Taisho died.”

Kagome and Sango just shook their heads at Kurama. Neither of them could really understand Kurama really. Miroku was just slightly awed by the knowledge and power that Kurama possessed. Inuyasha on the other hand had other things to think about. Like where that Jewel shard was and if they would have to camp again.

The group walked in silence for a few more hours, everyone absorbed in their own thoughts. Finally they came to a clearing on the side of the road and they decided to camp in the mid-afternoon. The Shard was close to the next village and they wanted to attempt to retrieve the shard when they were all fresh.

Kurama didn’t pull Shippo aside that afternoon. The clearing they had stopped in was large enough that there was no need to go elsewhere. Kurama stayed in his human form though, and had Shippo transform and run through the various exercises he had show him, correcting his from when needed, and encouraging the kit. The three humans in the group just watched what Kurama was doing with Shippo.

Kilala on the other hand had other ideas. She had been watching Kurama these past couple of days and had watched Shippo too. While Kilala didn’t have a human form she did have a large form. Jumping from Sango’s shoulder she headed over to Kurama.

Sango was about to call the fire-cat back when Kilala bumped Kurama’s hand to get his attention. Looking down he smiled, “Yes little one?” He asked kindly.

Kagome and Miroku jumped when Kilala let out a string of the speech-sounds she’d made when she met Kurama. They then both looked at Sango who could only shrug helplessly. She had no clue what the fire-cat had said, she’d never been able to learn the language that Kilala spoke, besides most of the time the cat was silent!

Kurama looked startled for a minute then a smile broke out on his face. “Would you be able to teach me as well?” He asked kneeling down to the nekomata’s level. At the cat’s nod Kurama stood again. “Shippo, come over here,” Kurama called out.

Shippo stopped what he was doing and the group could tell he was about to go back to his human form when Kurama stopped him. “No, stay as you are, Kilala’s going to teach us both something.”

Inuyasha’s ears perked up when he heard that. What did the fire cat know that Kurama didn’t? Was the thought in the minds of everyone there.

“What’s Kilala going to teach you?” Kagome asked getting Kurama’s attention.

Sango and Miroku nodded their agreement with Kagome’s question. Shippo had shrunk down in size and was now about the size of a large dog and sitting next to Kurama. _Yeah, what’s she gonna teach us?_ Everyone could hear him say.

Kurama smiled an enigmatic smile before shifting in a split second to his fox form. _Flying._ Came the calm answer.

“What?!” Sango yelled.

Inuyasha face-faulted so bad that he fell off his branch and Miroku and Kagome shared a look that said WTF?

Kurama’s chuckling echoed in their minds.

 _Seriously?_ They all heard Shippo ask.

Kilala nodded and with a swirl of flame she transformed into her large form. Inuyasha was the first to comment, “I thought that was a Kilala thing.”

 _Apparently not,_ Kurama said _Because she said she could teach the both of us._ Kilala said something to Kurama who translated, _Alright Shippo, we’re going to match her size and then do what she says. Before that though, I’m going to transfer my knowledge of her language to you so that I don’t have to translate._ The group looked shocked at that statement.

“You can do that?” Miroku asked surprised.

 _Yes, and before you ask Sango, I’ll do the same for you,_ Kurama said, cutting off Sango, who had opened her mouth. She closed it with a blush and Kagome and Miroku laughed. _Now, kit, pay attention_ Kurama said. Shippo looked at him and sat back on his hunches, tail curled around his paws. The tip of one of Kurama’s tails started glowing blue. He touched the tail to Shippo’s forehead before sitting back on his hunches himself. Kilala said something and Shippo looked startled, so he clearly understood her now. Kagome, Sango and Miroku shared a laugh at Shippo’s expense at his reaction. Even Inuyasha was snickering up on his tree branch. Sure he couldn’t understand the fire cat either but the pup’s reaction was good enough for him to get a laugh.

While Kilala gave Kurama and Shippo their lesson on flying the rest of the group just watched how things went. Since they couldn’t understand Kilala themselves they could only watch as the lesson progressed. Apparently Kurama and Shippo were focusing their thought-speech directly to Kilala because the rest of the group her nothing from them for the rest of the lesson.

The group watched as it took Kurama two false starts to get in the air, though moving around took him a while longer. Shippo however seemed to take a while longer to grasp the concept. It took him seven false starts to get in the air, but then was soon flying around rather easily. By the end of the day though, both of them were able to stay in the air without a problem, though Kurama had defiantly picked the skill up much faster than Shippo.

When the three of them returned to the ground Shippo changed back into his more human form and ran over to Kagome. She, in turn scooped the small kitsune into her arms.

Kurama however, simply sat back on his haunches and looked at the group, _If you would all come over here please ,_ Kurama said, _It is easier for me to transfer the knowledge in this form._

Sango and Miroku looked at each other and shrugged and went to stand in front of the large kitsune. Kagome carried Shippo with her as she went towards Kurama and Inuyasha just landed next to Miroku. Kilala came and sat by Kurama's feet, once again in her small form. Kurama took one of his tails, its tip glowing blue and touched each of their foreheads in turn. Once he was done he stretched and then shifted back to his human form and stretched again.

"That should do it," he said looking at everyone.

Kilala tilted her head to one side, "Well," she said, which caused everyone to jump. Sure they now understood the meaning of what she was saying, but what they actually heard was still the meows, yowels and chirps that the fire-cat was capable of making in the first place.

"Looks like they understand you," Kurama said, looking down at Kilala with a small smile.

With that settled, everyone settled down for the rest of the night. Kagome made Inuyasha his instant ramen and everyone else had the small game that had been caught after they'd made camp that night. Slowly everyone drifted off to sleep after eating. The sun had gone down while they were preparing their meal and in their current environment you rose and slept with the sun.

Shippo had curled up with Kagome as usual, but he was now in his true form, shrunk down and curled next to his adopted mother. Kagome in turn had an arm around her adopted son, as if to protect him while they slept. Miroku was snoring lightly from his place on the ground. Sango stayed up a little later than normal, speaking with Kilala in hushed tones. Kurama guessed that they conversed in almost whispers so that no one else would hear.

Kurama had taken to a lower tree branch, like he had the night before, while Inuyasha was in another tree entirely, and higher up on a smaller branch. Kurama took the time to think as he watched the group. They were very much like his group of so called friends in his time. And Inuyasha and Kagome could parallel himself and Hiei, both too stubborn to admit anything for the longest time, neither wanting to be without the other. Kurama smiled to himself as he looked up at the stars and the waxing crescent moon. He thought about what the him of this time was doing. If he remembered correctly he'd returned to the Makai and was relaxing in one of his many dens, then his thoughts drifted to other things. Slowly, Kurama too drifted off to sleep, pondering the interactions of past, present and future.

 

——————

 

The next morning after they were all awake they quickly packed up camp and moved towards where they could feel the yoki emanating from.

"There's cave's that it's probably in up there," Inuyasha said gesturing to where they were going as they walked.

"Probably why it hasn't moved much," Miroku added, "Though it might not be _able_ to move much," the monk contemplated out loud.

Eventually they made it to an opening in the cliff ahead of them. Following what they could all sense they began to make their way quietly through the tunnel. As they got closer they could see that the walls of the cavern were covered in slime. They took shelter behind an outcropping and could see the yokai in the cave.

"Snail," Inuyasha said simply when they saw it.

"I can see the shard in its shell," Kagome said as she stared hard at the snail.

Sango nodded, "That's going to make it difficult. Snail yokai have really tough shells to begin with."

"The shard is probably making its shell harder," Miroku added, "We're either going to have to have Kagome purify it or we might be able to ask it for the shard.”

Before anyone could add anything else, Kagome stepped out of their hiding place. The snail didn't give her time to say anything, because once it saw her it launched into the classic "I'm an evil yokai who's going to kill humans and rule the world speech".

"Stupid _bitch!"_ Inuyasha swore and dashed to Kagome's side. He drew the Tessuaiga but he wouldn't be able to swing it properly in the small cave, which meant that the Kaze no Kizu was out.

As the snail finished its speech it seemed to take a deep breath and shot acid at them which they had to dive out of the way from. It hissed and sputtered as it hit the rock, showing that it would be a bad idea to get hit with.

"Hiraikotsu!" Sango said and hurled the gigantic boomerang at the snail. But it only bounced off the shell and went clattering to the ground. Swearing, Sango ran for her weapon.

Miroku began pulling out different ofuda's that he thought would be helpful. The snail had begun spitting acid in every direction trying to hit them, so Miroku placed one in front of Kagome to form a shield.

Shippo also decided to try and help, shooting balls of flame at the snail, but it didn't do much except drive it back a little. Kurama meanwhile was searching somewhere behind his left ear for a specific seed that he thought would be good.

As Inuyasha charged at the snail, Kurama found the seed he was looking for. After watching the Tessuaiga bounce off the shell, Kurama threw the seed he had chosen at the snail. It hit the soft flesh and stuck. With a surge of yoki, the Kudzu grew incredibly quickly until the snail was struggling to move.

Kurama caught Kagome draw her bow out of the corner of his eye, "Everyone outta the way!" She called before loosening the shot. It hit the soft part of the snail right by the head and they watched at the yokai began to glow pink before slowly disintegrating.

The shard fell to the ground. Kagome stepped out of the protected area Miroku had formed and went to get the shard. Kurama watched as she pulled a small glass container with a stopper from underneath her shirt. Bending down she grabbed the small shard. Then she removed the stopper of the jar and dropped the newest shard in with the other's held in the small flask. Pushing the stopper back in tight she hid it under her shirt once again.

"That wasn’t so bad," Sango commented lightly as she looked over her giant weapon for any damage. It appeared unscathed from its brief encounter with Jewel shard enhanced shell.

"No it wasn't," Miroku replied as he removed the only ofuda he had used from the floor of the cavern.

"My fire didn't do anything though," Shippo said with a slight sniffle.

Kurama reached down and ruffled the Kits hair. "Do not worry, you are only a beginner. It just takes practice," he said. "Besides," he added, "There isn't much to burn in this cave anyways."

Shippo looked around and Kurama was right. There was nothing but bare rock and snail slime…. Definitely nothing that would burn.

"Let's get outta here," Inuyasha said impatiently as they all started to head back towards the cave entrance.

As a group the exited the cave and stood blinking in the sunlight, slowly they made their way back the way they came. Sango by far though, was in the most interesting position of all of them. She was presently getting a lecture from a certain fire-cat that just happened to ride on her shoulder.

"What did you learn about snail yokai as a child?" Kilala was asking Sango.

Said woman was hanging her head. She had learned at a young age that you needed someone with purifying powers to fight a snail effectively as weapons bounced of their shells. Sango sighed and repeated the lesson.

Kagome couldn't help but giggle at her friend's discomfort. Who knew that Kilala would nag?

It was still morning as the group decided to head back to the village. It hadn't taken them as nearly as long as they were thinking to get the shard. As it turned out, it would be one of the easiest shards they had ever retrieved.

They bypassed their campground from the night before, planning on at least making it a good ways back before resting. The group walked in mostly silence. Sango wasn't in a talking mood after the lecture she received from Kilala. Miroku would occasionally ask Kurama a question about himself, kitsune yokai or just yokai in general, since Inuyasha only knew what he had picked up on his own after his mother's passing. Kagome also took up some of Kurama's time with various questions but they were more in line with what was happening in the modern world with yokai. In doing so, Kagome got a rundown of the basic structure of the Makai and what the Rekai Tantei did.

Their lunch break was quick when they stopped next to a stream to refill various canteens and they all ate things that could be eaten cold.

As the afternoon wore on Kurama found himself having a good time. No one was trying to kill him, he didn't need to worry about hiding his various abilities and he had another kitsune to play with. Kurama was happier than he had been in a _long_ time.

But Kurama's happy afternoon was about to come crashing down. As the group began to traverse a rather large forest clearing, Inuyasha, Kurama and Shippo all froze. Before any of the humans could react, Kurama and Inuyasha were in defensive positions and Shippo had buried himself under Kagome's hair, trying to hide himself.

"Shippo, what's wrong?" Kagome asked gently. She could feel the kit shaking against her shoulder.

"Sesshomaru's coming, and he smells _really_ mad," Came the fox’s quiet reply before curling up tighter.

Before anyone else could say something, Sesshomaru stepped out from behind a tree at the edge of the clearing, Jaken at his heels followed by Rin who was actually looking scared of the Taiyokai for once.

"Hello, little brother," Sesshomaru said to Inuyasha, his voice like ice.

Inuyasha growled, feeling on edge, he could almost feel the anger rolling off of his half-brother, "Hello to you to," He said sarcastically, "And now that you've said hi, why don't you just leave."

"This Sesshomaru doesn't think so," Sesshomaru said, taking a step closer, "You see, Mother had a vision about the future, and you were in it. But not as you are now," Sesshomaru said his eyes starting to bleed red, they could tell he was pissed, "Oh no, little brother, Mother said that she saw you as a full yokai. This Sesshomaru scoffed before she showed me. You looked so much like Father I thought she had tricked this Sesshomaru for a moment, but there you were, with that human whench you like to much," his claws on his one remaining arm started to glow, "You're not worthy of our father's yokai blood, and this Sesshomaru is going to kill you before that can happen!"

Before Sesshomaru could lunge at his half-brother, Kurama's voice cut through the air like a knife, causing Sesshomaru to turn his attention to him, "Michi always was a stuck up bitch," the Yoko said, then he smiled, his emerald eyes glinting dangerously, "Of course her visions really are accurate, I'll give her that, but she's always had a stick up her ass."

Sesshomaru by this point was just growling at Kurama, pissed about the comments about his mother, "Who do you think you are to insult this Sesshomaru's mother?"

"Someone who put her in her place when _she_ was a pup," Kurama said with an innocent look on his face, too bad it was ruined by a very creepy and vaguely sadistic smile that started to spread across his face. Without taking his eyes from the inu-yokai, Kurama said quietly to the others, "You better clear the area." He only waited for Kagome's minute nod before taking a few steps towards the currently physically larger yokai.

"A human like yourself could never put Mother 'in her place' as you put it," Sesshomaru growled out.

"What the hell are you doing?" Inuyasha asked suddenly.

Kurama looked away from Sesshomaru for a scant second, "Saving your ass," he said, "I know your future, his mother is partially right, but you can't dwell on that now, you need to avoid being killed by someone that was _supposed_ to protect you." The last part of that said loudly and with a tone that let everyone know that it was meant for Sesshomaru to hear.

Sesshomaru looked like he'd been shot, "How do you know about that," He growled out.

"Oh, I met your father a few times," Kurama said nonchalantly earning him stares from both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru.

“There is no way father would have conversed with a measly _human_ ,” Sesshomaru spat at Kurama.

Kurama only smirked, “Who said I was human?” he asked lightly, eyes flashing amber. Sesshomaru must have caught it because he paused for a moment to really take in the being standing in front of him.

Inuyasha was fluctuating between pissed off at Kurama interrupting and amusement that Kurama had rattled Sesshomaru so much. Then it struck him what Kurama had mentioned when he interrupted his little ‘chat’ with his brother, “What d'ya mean he was supposed to be my protector? He’s done nothing but try to kill me for as long as I can remember!” Inuyasha growled out.

Kurama now turned a gold stare on Sesshomaru, all traces of emerald now gone from his eyes, his yoki was snapping about him, “I remember your father telling me he was going to name you your brother’s protector,” he said to Sesshomaru, who for once actually looked surprised about something, “He knew that his second son would be hunted for being a hanyou, but the night he needed you most, the night of his birth, you failed him, and your father was forced to give his life for his son’s. I do not think the Inu no Taisho would appreciate what you have done Sesshomaru,” Kurama said with an icy voice.

“You know nothing,” Sesshomaru growled out, “You know _nothing!_ ”

“Nothing?” Kurama said in a surprisingly light voice. Kagome, Sango and Miroku exchanged a look. Kurama had been nice to all of them so far, he was even teaching Shippo, but there was apparently some history between the Yoko and the Inu in front of them. “I assure you Sesshy- _chan_ that I certainly know something. I was one of the friends your father notified when you were born! I was one of the friends he trusted with the location of Izayoi before Inuyasha was born!” Here Inuyasha started at his mother’s name, “I wanted to help him fight Ryukotsusei, but he convinced me it was his fight and he died because you weren’t there to protect your brother. So don’t you _dare_ say I know nothing about your family!” Kurama said, his voice slowly growing deeper and more agitated as his yoki began to gather around him. “You might want to move, Inuyasha,” Kurama added with another quick glance at the hanyou next to him, “Your brother and I have a score to settle.”

Inuyasha was just as confused as the rest of them. He knew precious few things about his father, and they had all been told to him by his mother before he was five. However, Inuyasha also knew that Kurama was old, and that he was a powerful yokai, that he felt that Sesshomaru had done something wrong made him just a little happy at something, though he was unsurprised that it had something to do with him. What did his brother always want with him anyways? It wasn’t like he was doing anything to him! And for once, Inuyasha backed down from a fight. He took one giant leap backwards towards the other’s now gathered at the edge of the clearing they had been crossing earlier. He landed next to Kagome who looked at him in surprised.

“You’d get out of there if you felt all the yoki too,” Inuyasha said gruffly, stuffing his hands in his sleeves and focusing his attention back on the two figures still in the center of the clearing.

“I know,” Kagome said, “I can see the aura.”

Sango and Miroku looked at each other and Sango raised an eyebrow. The two of them could sense the building power in the air and neither knew quite was to make of it.

“We had better stay out of this,” Kilala said from her place in front of Sango, “The two of them are far more powerful than any of us right now.”

Inuyasha spared a glance at the cat, he didn’t want to admit it, but she was right.

Sesshomaru ignored their simple conversation for the action of growling at being in front of him, “You are nothing compared to me, despite what you think you know.”

Kurama had to resist rolling his golden eyes at the Inu in front of him, he didn’t remember Sesshomaru being so stuck up, then again the last time he’d seen him in his human form he was very young, for he only interacted with Sesshomaru in his true form in the Makai and he now had an idea why Sesshomaru had sought him out after the barrier went up, he felt where was a score to settle from their fight. Ugh, time travel hurt his mind, it wasn’t meant to handle things like temporal causality and closed time loops. Kurama doubted that Sesshomaru even remembered meeting him when he was young, Kurama had only seen him a few times.

“I think I’m something,” Kurama casually replied when he finished his thoughts and nonchalantly drew a hand up to his hair and removed a seed which quickly became a rose which quickly became the same thorny whip the other’s had seen earlier. Sesshomaru’s eye narrowed and he summoned his own whip. If this was going to become a contest of prowess with his chosen weapon, he was confident he could take this crimson haired being. “How about I even the playing field?” Kurama asked just as casually, “You would probably feel less lost if you saw my yokai form.”

Sesshomaru’s eyes narrowed again, this being was simply full of surprises, “What form?” he asked rudely.

“This,” Kurama said, and in the blink of an eye Yoko Kurama was standing there in all his silver glory, but he didn’t give Sesshomaru time to process his change in appearance, he attacked, moving the whip at lightning speed, forcing Sesshomaru back.

When Sesshomaru realized who his opponent really was he swore and brought his own whip up to try and block some of the Yoko’s slashes. It didn’t work to well and the thorned whip bit into the armor he wore across the front of his body and opened a few tears in his clothing.

They went back and forth for a few minutes with the rest of the group watching them. It was, to say the least, interesting, to watch two full yokai go at it. Sure, they had seen Inuyasha fight other yokai but a) he was a hanyou and b) they tended to be really stupid yokai, no offense meant to Inuyasha of course. Kurama and Sesshomaru were taking part in a dance of attacks, they weaved and dodged and attacked, Sesshomaru never managing to gain the upper hand. No matter who was winning though, those watching had to admit that it was a impressive show of skill.

“He won’t ever get ahead,” Kilala said, understanding the battle better than those around her, “Kurama’s holding back, not going all out, he doens’t want to kill Sesshomaru but if this keeps up he might not have a choice.”

The two blurs that were the combatants seems to solidify as they came to a stop for a moment. Sesshomaru definitely looked the worst for wear from the encounter. His usual attire was looking like it was starting to be shredded, the people watching could only think from the thorns on Kurama’s whip. While Kurama didn’t look like he did at the start of the short fight, he was definitely better off.

Sesshomaru growled at his inability to best his opponent, he was used to being the top dog, to use a common turn of phrase, and to say he was not pleased about his current situation was an understatement, possibly of the century.

Kurama gave a lopsided, teasing, grin, "Really Sesshomaru, I thought you were better than that. All that training you used to do, you would think after five hundred years you'd get better." Sesshomaru just glared at the Yoko. He was _not_ pleased by his current circumstances. Kurama on the other hand was having fun playing with the Inu's mind. Sesshomaru was always a tad high strung, easy to wind up and let loose. It was much better to play with him now then when he was younger because he got worse as he got older. Though Kurama knew that he couldn’t push it too far or he would seriously screw up the future, and he knew he couldn’t let that happen.

“This Sesshomaru is _not_ a plaything,” he growled out in reply.

“No, you’re not,” Kurama agreed, “But it is awfully tempting when you get so high strung over every little thing.” Sesshomaru’s only response was to growl lowly at the kitsune across from him. “Now, now, Sesshomaru,” Kurama said lightly, “That’s no way to treat your elders.”

Kagome managed to stifle a giggle from the sidelines at that statement. Sesshomaru’s eyes flicked towards the girl, but he didn’t dare move forward with the other yokai in front of him. He wasn’t stupid after all. “This Sesshomaru is not pleased,” he said, eyes bleeding slightly red.

Kurama frowned and studied the younger yokai in front of him. Kurama took a step forward, “Whatever the future may hold, Sesshomaru, it is none of our concern. Sometimes a vision is wrong, sometimes it’s right. But you will not know until the event happens. Nothing is certain,” he said evenly. “I suggest you go back to your lands,” Kurama continued.

“Why?” Sesshomaru asked, with a little less growl in his voice.

“Time is not a play-thing Sesshomaru,” Kurama said evenly, his golden eyes focused intently on the figure before him, “What happens will happen and there is nothing you, or I, can do about it,” Kurama flicked his whip, the picture of idleness, though in reality he was wound like a tightened spring ready to release, “Now, I suggest you leave.”

For a split second, it looked like Sesshomaru would actually leave, but instead he made to attack the kitsune in front of him. Quick as lightning, Kurama’s arm snaked out and caught the younger yokai by the throat and slammed him into the ground. It all happened so quickly that those watching hadn’t even seen Kurama move. One minute Sesshomaru was lunging towards him, the next he was on the ground with a growling Kurama leaning over him.

“I gave you one warning Sesshomaru, and now I give you a second. There will _not_ be a third,” Kurama said in a deep growl, so low that the words were barely discernible within the growl that emanated from him. For Sesshomaru though, he was still in a little bit of shock but his face portrayed his anger at being bested. “Do you understand?” Kurama asked, tightening his grip a little bit so that Sesshomaru could feel his claws and knew that he meant business. Kurama was in the dominant position, and though many yokai had risen above their baser instincts, there still existed the position of dominant and submissive with in them, and though Sesshomaru was not submissive by nature, he was caught in the lesser position and knew when he was bested.

After Sesshomaru gave a small nod, all that he could with Kurama’s claws digging into his neck, Kurama released the younger yokai and stood up, taking a few steps backwards towards the group. “Now, I again suggest you leave,” Kurama said. His voice was less of a growl now but the threat was still evident to all who possessed hearing.

This time, Sesshomaru did actually leave and turned and sped off, leaving Jaken and Rin behind.

Kurama followed Sesshomaru with his senses as the inu stopped a mile or so away, and Kurama had a feeling he was waiting for his two followers. Speaking of the two of them, Kurama turned his gaze to them, letting himself relax. Rin was starting at him wide-eyed. She’d never seen anybody do that to Sesshomaru before. “Go on,” Kurama said in a soft voice, surprising everyone. “He’s waiting for you,” he continued, pointing in the direction that Sesshomaru had left in, leaving no doubt who ‘he’ was.

Rin gulped and then bowed deeply to Kurama before grabbing the passed out Jaken by the neck of his kimono and dragging him off behind her, but not before turning and giving the group watching a fleeting smile, and then disappearing into the woods.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Kurama sighed deeply then reverted back to his human form. Staying as Yoko was just asking for trouble he did _not_ want. Silver hair bled red, ears became rounded, he shrunk a few inches and his white toga like attire changed back to the modern clothing he had been wearing. Turning around he was met with stares from everyone, though he could have sworn Shippo had a more happy expression than anything. “What?” He asked innocently, head tilted to one side, so very like a fox looking at something interesting.

Kagome blinked a few times, trying to process what had just happened, before she seemed to shake, and she came back to herself, “What do you mean, ‘what’?” She asked angrily. “You just took down the one yokai that’s been hounding us for a year without so much as batting an eye! And all you have to ask is ‘what’?” She nearly yelled at him. Kurama gave her a moment to calm down, but before he could say anything she continued, “I know you told me before we came here some of what you’ve done. I know how powerful you really are, hell, you wouldn’t be a nine tails if you didn’t have that power, but damn,” she said, surprising everyone with her swear at the end, “I’d _really_ hate to get on your bad side,” she finished.

Kurama shrugged, he didn’t really have a reply to that, he was who he was and that wasn’t going to change.

Shippo chose to totally ruin the moment by jumping off Kagome’s shoulder and running and glomping Kurama. “I want you to come and visit all the time!” The young kitsune said happily, “You are so awesome I can’t say how awesome you are!” he continued, gushing.

Kurama couldn’t help himself, he started laughing at the young kit’s exuberance, “If your Okaa-san doesn’t have a problem with it,” he said with a smile.

Everyone’s gaze turned to Kagome, who after a moment smiled and shook her head, “No problem,” she said which make Shippo cheer.

The rest of the way back to the village was spent in quiet discussion of various topics ranging from the Makai to Kurama’s human family, to the team he was on working for Reikai, to the yokai lore Kurama knew.

Finally, it was time for Kagome and Kurama to return to their time. Saying their goodbyes they jumped into the well. Emerging on the other side, Kagome introduced Kurama to her family before he himself headed for his own home.

As soon as Kurama returned home after his little trip to the past Hiei showed up almost immediately, “Where the hell were you?” he asked tersely.

Kurama looked up from the book at his desk, he’d just gotten through explaining to his mother where he had been, it had taken a bit of talking to explain everything and he was just sitting down to enjoy a book when Hiei showed up. “I was in Sengoku Jidai,” he said simply.

“What?” Hiei asked, now just plain confused, a feeling that he didn’t like.

“Time travel,” Kurama said, which didn’t help the fire yokais confusion any. Kurama could tell that Hiei was starting to get annoyed. Sighing he explained what had happened that had him gone for so long. Hiei was silent through the whole explanation.

When Kurama was finished Hiei gave him a strange look. “So _that’s_ who those yokai’s were,” Hiei said almost to himself. Kurama could tell that he was thinking hard.

“But it hasn’t happened yet,” Kurama said.

“Hn,” Was the reply.

“Look, _we_ may know what they become, but we can’t tell them, not without changing history. My trip really did not have much of an effect on anything, and because it was in the past, it’s already happened, but time travel and paradoxes are not to be taken lightly, by anyone,” Kurama told Hiei.

Hiei chose to drop the subject and they both headed downstairs when Shiori called them for dinner.


End file.
